De Grasse eyes progress, return to Olympic sprinting form with toe injury behind him

John Coghlan understands how Canadian track fans might fall into the trap of thinking something is amiss with Andre De Grasse when he isn't in championship form early in the outdoor season. But any concern, the coach says, should be eased by looking at the sprinter's history and accomplishments.

"He's surprised people a few times … when they thought he wasn't setting the world [on fire] and then shows up at the right time," said Coghlan, who has worked with De Grasse since last November.

In July 2021, De Grasse ran 10.17 seconds over 100 metres in the Czech Republic 10 weeks before the Summer Games and then a 9.89 personal best for bronze in Tokyo to become the first Canadian to win multiple Olympic medals in the distance.

He went 20.09 in the 200 at the Bislett Games Diamond League meet in Norway one month before the Tokyo final when De Grasse found a different gear in the final seconds and reached the finish line in a Canadian record 19.62 for his first Olympic gold in the event.

"He's special," the Irishman Coghlan told CBC Sports of De Grasse. "He has such an incredible ability to turn on [his performance]. He's got a winner's mentality. I think people see his phenomenal physical ability, but I think his mental ability to perform is outstanding."

Coghlan added De Grasse is at full health entering Thursday's 200 at Bislett Stadium in Oslo. A live stream of the fifth leg of the Diamond League season will be available at 2 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

Coghlan called De Grasse's most recent competition on May 21 at the Bermuda Grand Prix "high-level training." The Markham, Ont., athlete ran the sprint double about 60 minutes apart, going 10.16 in the 100 and 20.28 in the 200 aided by a