De Grasse's recent showings high on list of great Canadian sports accomplishments
Yuri Coghe | CBC Sports | Posted: August 25, 2021 12:00 AM | Last Updated: August 25, 2021
Sprinter might run faster by season's end, Morgan Campbell says on Bring It In panel
Less than three weeks after winning the men's 200-metre event in Tokyo, Canada's most decorated male Olympian added another impressive win to his resumé.
Andre De Grasse ran a wind-aided 9.74 seconds at the Diamond League's Prefontaine Classic on Saturday in Eugene, Ore., leading a stacked field that included Olympic silver medallist Fred Kerley.
On the latest episode of Bring It In, Morgan Campbell is joined by Meghan McPeak and Dave Zirin to discuss De Grasse's recent results that also include bronze medals in the 100 and 4x100 relay events in Tokyo.
"There's a natural tendency to fall off of your peak because you reach such a fine point at the Olympics, but Andre De Grasse is still going," Campbell said. "He still might run faster in the month or so we have left in the season."
De Grasse's achievements on the world stage have caught the eyes of many, and in McPeak's opinion, has meant everything for Canada.
"The fact that he has taken Canadian track and put it in the conversation of not just 'that forgotten country north of the U.S.', he's putting on for the Canadians and I absolutely love it," McPeak said.
WATCH l De Grasse continues dominance at Prefontaine Classic:
With Usain Bolt retired and the event not having a dominant figure of that level, Zirin feels the entertainment value has not been lost in the men's sprints.
"I was so entertained about how De Grasse showed out and by the Olympics, that I thought, 'Do we really need another Usain Bolt or Carl Lewis? Or, can collective greatness be enough to grab our attention?'" Zirin said. "That's what I was thinking before the race, and after it I was really confident in the idea of 'yes, we can enjoy this.'"
"He doesn't have to be the next Bolt. He can be the first Andre De Grasse," Campbell said in agreement.
Sha'Carri Richardson returns
The panel also discussed Sha'Carri Richardson's return after serving an one-month suspension for a positive marijuana test in June that resulted in her missing the Olympics.
Richardson finished last in the women's 100 metres, while the Jamaican trio of Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson claimed first, second and third places in that order — just as they did in Tokyo.
WATCH l Richardson finishes last in sprint return at Prefontaine Classic:
Thompson-Herah crossed the finish line in 10.54 seconds, recording the second-fastest time ever.
"It was evident that whatever we thought Sha'Carri Richardson could do, whatever we might think she can still do, she didn't do it there," Campbell said. "There's not even a question of her having a bad day, it's a question of output. That was a point in the race in which she decided she wasn't going to win, and she also decided she wasn't going to compete."
Zirin pointed out how the positive test has turned her into such a polarizing sports figure, that you can only like or dislike her.
"Sha'Carri Richardson with that one test all of a sudden becomes this incredibly polarizing figure, which you get sometimes in sports, where it's not whether you like or don't like someone, you're either for her or against her," he said.
McPeak believes her career going forward is bright despite her latest result.
"Sha'Carri Richardson is young and still learning and training herself to become the best of the best and improve herself. I'm very, very excited to see what she does next, I'm excited to see what hair colour she has next, I'm excited to see the nails … I'm all for it."