Andre De Grasse's bronze win has Markham, Ont., fans beaming over hometown hero

Outside of Rio, the best seat in the house to watch the men's 100-metre final at the Olympic Games may well have been next to a parking lot in the suburban city of Markham, Ont.

That's according to fans who gathered to watch their hometown hero Andre De Grasse capture the bronze medal Sunday night, finishing 1-100th of a second faster than the time he posted to win bronze at the 2015 world championships.

At just 21-years-old, De Grasse has made a major impression on youth athletes across Canada, but perhaps nowhere more than his native Markham.

• Usain Bolt wins 100m gold, Andre De Grasse gets bronze
• Full replay: Men's 100m Olympic final
• Andre De Grasse taken aback by reception from Canadian kids

Dallyssa Huggins,18, says she has a full track scholarship to the University of Maryland. Like De Grasse, she could be part of a new generation of Canadian track stars.

'He knows where he came from'

"Coming from Markham, Ont., it's something to look up to, like a role model," she said after watching De Grasse win the medal. "He knows where he came from. He had to work hard to get there."

"To get there and do that well at his first Olympics — as an athlete, I want to do exactly the same thing so I know I have to go through all that training, definitely, just follow in his footsteps," Huggins said.

Lisa Siripolous was one of those who attended a viewing party to watch as De Grasse competed in the 10-second race that she says she and much of the city has been holding its breath for.

"It was insane because we've been talking about this for so long here in Markham," Siripolous said.

"He went to Milliken Mills High School. Everybody knows him. He was the star that we were all waiting for," she said of De Grasse. "Markham has come such a long way."

Kiyan Jadavji, who also watched with bated breath, says he's proud to see De Grasse raising the profile of his hometown.

'Making a name for ourselves'

"We're making a name for ourselves. We had the Raptors, now Toronto FC, they're all picking it up, and now we see us on the Olympic stage," he said after the win.

And while the Olympic rookie may have taken third place this time, Jadavji and others watching Sunday said they have no doubt De Grasse is on his way to gold in future competitions.

"Bronze, that's his gold. Running against Usain Bolt and [Justin] Gatlin, they have years of experience," Carissa Goldson said.

"When they are retired, DeGrasse is taking gold."