Olympic champion Andre De Grasse delivered a confidence-boosting performance on the last day at the 2023 Canadian National Track and Field Championships on Sunday (30), securing a victory in the 200m race with a season-best time of 20.01 seconds (0.4 m/s). His performance day was also comfortably below the World Athletics Championships qualifying standard of 20.16 seconds.
De Grasse, who had previously missed out on qualifying for the 100m final on Friday, made a secure return to the track on Sunday afternoon. With the help of a 3.0 m/s wind-aided condition, he ran the fastest time in the semifinal.
The Tokyo Games champion then called on his experience to outpace the competition in the final, improving his previous 2023 best of 20.33 seconds, and booked his place on the national team to Budapest.
The 28-year-old athlete demonstrated a considerable improvement in the 200m race compared to his display in the 100m on the opening day of the championships when he appeared to be struggling with heavy legs during the 100m race.
Meanwhile, Aaron Brown, the 100m national champion, clocked a time of 20.10 seconds to secure second place. Brendon Rodney, the runner-up in the 100m race, posted a time of 20.15 seconds to take third place, Jerome Blake, who finished fourth in the 100m, also secured fourth place in the 200m final on Sunday.
Following the conclusion of the national championships, De Grasse is set to return to training as he continues his preparations for the upcoming World Track and Field Championships in Budapest next month.
