Andre De Grasse Family Foundation Launch / Communiqué : Lancement de la Fondation de la Famille Andre De Grasse
Andre De Grasse

Canadian Andre De Grasse stormed to a wind aided word leading 100-meters time of 9.69 Sunday (19 June) in Stockholm. Although the time was wind assisted (+4.8), it stands as the fastest anyone has run this
year under any condition and tied for fourth all time.

This was his first sub-10 performance this season after clocking a 10.01 just a few days prior in Oslo on Thursday.
“It was a shock to me when I saw the time on the board, I just wanted to run sub 10 and I didn’t feel in the shape to run that fast,” De Grasse told reporters.

This was not De Grasse’s first wind-aided surprise either. A couple of years ago while still a collegian competing for USC, he burst on to the international spotlight with strong (+2.7and +2.4) wind assisted marks of 9.75 and 19.58 seconds at the 2015 NCAA Championships in the 100 and 200 meters respectively.
This would ultimately propel the young talent into the professional ranks, signing a $11.25-million-dollar contract with Puma (also long synonymous with Usain Bolt’s brand) in December of 2015.

The three-time Olympic medalist from Rio has been increasingly viewed as one of the potential heir apparents to theBolt era.
The 22-year-old, who was born in suburban Toronto to Caribbean parents, was the runner-up in the 200 meters Olympic final last August to Bolt, and has recently admitted at aiming to try and defeat his sprinting hero later this season in London, which Bolt asserts will be his last competition.

“I know when I actually start coming together and feeling good and getting ready to peak for the world championships, I know it’s going to be something special,”he said to reporters.

De Grasse brought Ivorian Sprinter Ben Youssef Meite with him at 9.84 and Jamaican Ryan Shields, who had qualified through a victory in the earlier B-race at 9.89 in second and third places. The wind pushed five in total under 10 seconds.

“I’m just looking forward to the next race and see what I can do Legally,” De Grasse continued to reporters.

De Grasse currently leads the Diamond League 100 meters with 21 points.

In the field realm, Jamaican thrower Fredrick Dacres threw a 68.36m to claim his first career Diamond League victory in the discus. Dacres has thrown two personal bests this season, both of which also happened to be national records: 68.67m at the Big Shot Invitational in January, then a month later, throwing a 68.88m at the King of the Ring Throws Meet. Dacres is currently third in the Diamond League standings with 15 points.

Bahamian Steven Gardiner won the 400 meters in 44.58, beating Botswana’s Baboloki Thebe who finished in 44.99. Gardiner sits in second place in the seasonal Diamond League standings at 16 points behind Thebe’s 22

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Is a budding freelance Journalist. He worked for news outlets like Capital News Service, a news wire based out of the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism, where he graduated from with a Master's in Journalism. He has an undergraduate degree in communications from Bowie State University, where he served as Deputy Managing Editor for the schools official Newspaper: The Spectrum. He has also contributed to newspapers like The Washington Afro American, Montgomery County Gazette and the Takoma/Silver Spring Voice. Auburn has a strong passion for Athletics, particularly events 800 meters and under( and their corresponding relays).

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