Canadian sprint phenom Andre De Grasse says he intends to go back to university and finish his degree, despite a series of world-class performances and a flurry of sponsorship opportunities that await him should he decide to compete professionally.
“I always promised my mom that I would get my degree,” he said. “At the end of the day, nothing has really changed.”
Last weekend, De Grasse won bronze at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing. He competed against some of the world’s finest 100-metre sprinters.
The 20-year-old from Markham, Ont. first became a household name after winning two gold medals at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto.
“I can’t believe the season I’ve had so far. It’s incredible,” De Grasse said. “I can’t complain.”
De Grasse’s career as a track athlete only began three years ago, during his time at the University of Southern California.
Before that, De Grasse was more interested in basketball than track and field.
“I kind of knew that the speed was there, but I didn’t expect to have a track and field speed to be able to run sub-10 seconds because a lot of people can’t do that,” he said.
But despite the sponsorship offers and money-making potential of competing professionally, De Grasse said keeping his promises is more important.
“I’m not going to let a little money and fame change who I am,” he said.
With a report from Colin D’Mello
