Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse made it back-to-back victories in the men’s 100 metres at the Bislett Games, clocking a season-best 10.01 seconds to top the eight-man field on Thursday in Oslo.
The Canadian, who won Olympic bronze in the 100 in Rio de Janeiro last summer, crossed the line in 10.07 a year ago at the Diamond League meet in Oslo.
De Grasse, 22, entered Thursday’s race with a season best of 10.10, set in mid-May at the Guadeloupe International Meeting, where he placed second.
In Oslo, the Markham, Ont., runner stayed at or near the front of the pack early on and finished strong in a tightly contested race on a comfortable, dry night with a slight breeze at Bislett Stadium.
De Grasse has continued to lower his time in the 100 since opening the outdoor season with a 10.22 performance at Diamond League Doha in Qatar.
Another look at @De6rasse crossing the line with a win in #OsloDLpic.twitter.com/HfjnkzVW4a
Next up for De Grasse is the 100 this Sunday at a Diamond League event in Stockholm.
“I’m looking forward to running sub-10 [seconds] there,” De Grasse said after Thursday’s race.
Chijindu Ujah of Great Britain and Ben Youssef Meite of the Ivory Coast ran 10.02 and 10.03, both season bests, to round out the podium Thursday.
Canada’s Aaron Brown was fifth in 10.15, also a season best. The Toronto native’s previous best for 2017 was 10.30 at the Grenada Invitational in St. George’s on April 8.
“It’s great competition for both of us,” said De Grasse of Brown, with whom he won Olympic relay bronze in Rio. “It’s going to prepare us for [the Canadian track and field championships] in a couple of weeks [in Ottawa], so I’m looking forward to racing him there, and from there working together to run the 4×100 relay in London [at the world championships in August].”
André de Grasse soaks up the atmosphere with a victory lap after moving top of the standings in the #RoadToTheFinal#OsloDLpic.twitter.com/3vNxF0mzvL
Diamond League on CBC Sports
CBC Sports is providing live streaming coverage of all 14 Diamond League meets this season at CBCSports.ca and via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. TV coverage will be featured as part of the network’s Road To The Olympic Games weekend broadcasts throughout the season.
The following is a list of upcoming Diamond League meets on CBCSports.ca and the CBC Sports app:
- Stockholm (June 18, 2 p.m. ET)
- Paris (July 1, 2 p.m. ET)
- Lausanne (July 6, 2 p.m. ET)
- London (July 9, 9 a.m. ET)
- Rabat (July 16, 2 p.m. ET)
- Monaco (July 21, 2 p.m. ET)
- Birmingham (Aug. 20, 2 p.m. ET)
- Zurich (Aug. 24, 3 p.m. ET)
- Brussels (Sept. 1, 3 p.m. ET)
