Reigning Olympic champion De Grasse opens season with 4th-place finish in 200m

Canada's Andre De Grasse found himself a step behind in his season-opening race on Friday.

The Markham, Ont., native placed fourth in the 200 metres at the Diamond League opener in Doha, Qatar.

It's the same event in which De Grasse earned his lone Olympic gold medal last summer in Tokyo.

But a new season brought a new story, with reigning world champion Noah Lyles (19.72 seconds) edging Fred Kerley (19.75) to pick up the victory on a day where times were not deemed wind-legal. The American duo separated themselves from the rest of the field, well ahead of De Grasse and Trinidad and Tobago's Jereem Richards, whose time of 20.142 seconds barely held off De Grasse at 20.146.

"I feel that I'm getting back in shape," De Grasse said. "My goal for the world championships [in Oregon in July] is to get a medal."

WATCH | De Grasse finishes 4th in 200m:

Fellow Canadians Aaron Brown, of Brampton, Ont., and Jerome Blake, of Burnaby, B.C., finished fifth (20.18) and sixth (20.25), respectively.

De Grasse set the Canadian record in the distance in Tokyo with his time of 19.62.

In addition to that gold medal, De Grasse also helped Canada land silver (after Great Britain was disqualified for doping) in the 4x100m and earned individual bronze in the 100m in Tokyo. He also placed second in the Diamond League Finals in both the 100m and 200m to cap what he called his "greatest season ever."

WATCH | Canadian athletics on the rise:

Meanwhile, Canadian Marco Arop started his season on the right foot, placing third in the men's 800.

Arop, of Edmonton, spent much of the race biding his time on the outside, eventually making his move after the pacer exited the track.

It appeared to work as the Canadian found himself in second place down the