EUGENE, Ore. — For the first time in Andre de Grasse's coveted racing career the Canadian sprinter won't be making a podium appearance.
Coming off a foot injury, down time and two separate bouts of COVID-19, de Grasse was unable to match the speed in his heat or the top eight to advance to the men's 100-metre finals at the world track and field championships at Hayward Field.
The 27-year-old native of Scarborough, Ont., clocked a 10.21 in his Saturday semifinal heat, well behind top-ranked Americans Fred Kerley (10.02) and Christian Coleman (10.05), who ran just fast enough to advance.
Also finishing ahead of de Grasse were Zharnel Hughes of Great Britain (10.13) and Ackeem Blake of Jamaica (10.21). Aaron Brown of Toronto, who clocked a 10.06 to finish third in the third heat, managed to make the final as a top eight qualifier.