Andre De Grasse Day: Hometown hero celebrated in Markham, Ont. after gold-medal win
Andre De Grasse has finally added a gold medal to his collection—and the entire Greater Toronto Area is celebrating, with his hometown even declaring the athlete would get a day named in his honour.
The 26-year-old from Markham, Ont. sprinted to the top of the podium during the 200-metre dash at the Tokyo Olympics Wednesday morning, with a Canadian-record time of 19.62 seconds.
Andre De Grasse now has five medals—he captured a bronze in the 100-metre race Monday and has a silver and two bronzes under his belt from the 2016 Olympic Games—but it is his first gold.
It’s also Canada’s first gold medal in the sport since 1928.
Speaking to reporters from her home in Pickering, Ont., Andre De Grasse’s mother Beverly said that she is “super proud” of her son.
“I feel like I'm on a high,” she said. “Even though l was expecting it, it was just so like so surreal to really witness it, at least over the television.”
Beverly De Grasse said that when her son first said he wanted to run in track and field at school, he just thought he wanted a day off from his lessons.
“I never thought this would have been happening today … being in the Olympics or anything like that,” she said. “I just thought he wanted to skip school, have fun with his friends, you know.”
Coach Tony Sharpe said he shed “tears of joy” after watching the gold-medal race.
“It’s what we wanted,” he said. “I always kid around with Andre—I’m tired of silver, bring me some gold—and he brought it home.”
“He's just a good person. And that's the thing that inspires me about him, it's not necessarily the numbers on the on the on the scoreboard,” Sharpe added, calling Andre De Grasse “the most talented sprinter” he’s ever seen.
But it wasn’t just De Grasse’s family celebrating his win—all across Canada politicians, athletes and everyday citizens offered their congratulations.
Speaking on CP24 Wednesday, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said the he would be proclaiming Aug. 4th as “Andre De Grasse Day” in the city.
“What a moment,” Scarpitti said. “Certainly a lot of expectation that he’d come first, let’s just say he didn’t disappoint.”
The Markham gateway sign at Steeles Avenue and Markham Road, as well as the Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square, will also be lit gold to celebrate the win.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.