'I totally blanked out': Andre De Grasse’s mom describes pride after seeing son win bronze
Beverly De Grasse says that she hardly remembers seeing her son race during the men’s 100-metre final at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo Sunday morning.
“It was so fast,” she said. “I totally blanked out of the race to be honest.”
It wasn’t until she say Andre De Grasse’s name on the board beside the words “bronze medal” that she realised he had placed.
“I’m very proud of what he accomplished in Tokyo. It must not have been easy for him…He had the weight of Canada on his shoulder.”
The 26-year-old from Markham, Ont. beat his personal best during that race by 0.01 seconds and became the first Canadian male to get on a podium in Tokyo.
Former Canadian Olympian and medalist Tony Sharpe, who took Andre under his wing at the Speed Academy Athletics Club in Pickering, Ont. called the performance inspiring.
“Whenever an athlete runs a personal best that’s all a coach can ask for,” he said. “To add an Olympic medal to that…a tremendous achievement.”
Beverly said that not being able to see him compete in person has been a challenge. Spectators have not been permitted into the Olympic Stadium due to COVID-19 regulations, leaving many families to watch their loved ones compete from their living rooms.
“What if he needs me … with everything that's going on with a pandemic? And you know, what if you contract with COVID over there, so I was constantly stressed about the whole experience,” she said. “At least he's bringing back some hardware to Canada.”
Despite not being able to be physically in Tokyo, Beverly said that she texts her son every day, adding that she can’t wait to see him and “give him a big hug and a kiss.”
Andre will be competing in the 200-metre race on Tuesday, an event he won silver in at the last Olympic Games.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.