'He's ready to go': Andre De Grasse healthy, primed to compete at world championships

Athletics Canada head coach Glenroy Gilbert says the country's most decorated track and field superstar Andre De Grasse is healthy and expects the six-time Olympic medallist to compete in the 100-metre, 200m and 4x100m relay at the world championships.

De Grasse tested positive for COVID-19 a second time just two weeks ago and has been slowly recovering from symptoms, including shortness of breath. It forced him to miss Nationals in Langley, B.C., at the end of June.

But despite a less-than-ideal lead up to the world athletics championships which begin on Friday in Eugene, Ore., Gilbert says the plan right now is to have De Grasse compete in all three events.

There were reports that the 200m was going to be a game-time decision.

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"I heard that myself, and again I have to see what they decide to do but as far as I know right now he's running both and the relay," Gilbert told CBC Sports.

De Grasse spent about 45 minutes on Thursday afternoon at a training facility near Hayward Field practicing getting out of the blocks and loosening up his body ahead of the 100m heats scheduled for Friday night. Temperatures are expected to hover around 30 degrees throughout the ten days of competition.

It's been a challenging season to date for the 27-year-old, who has battled a foot injury and hasn't been running his best. Add in this recent bout with COVID and there are certainly questions about his ability to perform. However, this is nothing new for De Grasse who has been questioned before ahead of important international meets, only to excel.

Our first glimpse at Canadian track star Andre De Grasse at his last training session before the World Athletics Championships