Andre De Grasse's 200m Olympic gold ignites Canadian celebration
Marcus Rebelo | CBC Sports | Posted: August 4, 2021 11:49 PM | Last Updated: August 4, 2021
Markham, Ont., native wins 1st Canadian gold in 200m since Percy Williams in 1928
With his signature strong finish in the men's 200-metre, Canada's Andre De Grasse crossed the line first to become Olympic champion.
De Grasse, the first Canadian to win a gold medal in the 200m since Percy Williams in 1928, clocked in with a national-record time of 19.62 seconds.
The Markham, Ont., native finished ahead of a pair of Americans — Kenneth Bednarek, who captured silver with a time of 19.68, and Noah Lyles, who won bronze with 19.74.
Congratulatory social media messages and celebrations commenced after the 26-year-old's historic win.
Fellow Canadian athletes and Olympians chimed in, in support of their compatriot following the gold-medal race.
De Grasse shared his post-race celebration to Instagram.
His partner Nia Ali — an Olympic medallist and world champion hurdler from the United States — admired the Canadian's performance in Tokyo.
Toronto's Aaron Brown finished sixth in the 200m final with a time of 20.20.
Brown revealed the motivation behind his run and congratulated his Canadian teammate.
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