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
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.