Brown, De Grasse both break 10 seconds in semifinals, setting up fast final

Jul 26, 2019 | 6:51 PM

MONTREAL — Aaron Brown and Andre De Grasse both dipped under the 10-second barrier in the 100-metre semifinals, setting up what should be a sizzling final Friday night at the Canadian track and field championships. 

Brown, a 27-year-old from Toronto, ran 9.96 in his heat at Claude Robillard Stadium.

Two heats earlier, De Grasse cruised to 9.98 to win his heat, which was plagued by three false starts.

The triple Olympic medallist is gunning to regain his Canadian title, after two hamstring injuries shelved the better part of the past two seasons. De Grasse owned the Canadian 100 title between 2015 and ’17.

The 24-year-old from Markham, Ont., was third last year, then strained his hamstring in the 200 metres. He was forced to shut down his season early for the second consecutive summer.

De Grasse dipped below the 10-second mark last week for the first time since the Rio Olympics when he ran 9.99 at the Diamond League stop in London.

Brown’s best time this season had been 10.07 at the Lausanne Diamond League meet.

De Grasse is only racing the 100 metres in Montreal as he continues to round into top racing form.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Canadian Press