Andre De Grasse and Marco Arop win Diamond League gold in Eugene

Andre de Grasse (Martin Rulsch, Wikimedia Commons)

Canadian Olympic gold medalist Andre De Grasse of Scraborough, Ontario, and Marco Arop of Edmonton, Alberta, each won the gold medal at the 2021 Diamond League Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday. De Grasse placed first in the men’s 100 metres, and Arop placed first in the men’s 800 metres.

In the men’s 100 metres, De Grasse posted a winning time of 9.74 seconds. Fred Kerley of the United States won the silver medal with a time of 9.78 seconds and Ronnie Baker of the United States won the bronze medal with a time of 9.82 seconds. De Grasse reached the podium by 0.12 seconds over Trayvon Brommell of the United States, who had a fourth place time of 9.86 seconds.

Due to the fact there were high winds in Eugene, at 2.9 metres per second, De Grasse’s time of 9.74 seconds is not considered a Canadian record. According to the Canadian Press, the allowable wind for a time to be official is two metres per second or less.

De Grasse, who won the gold medal in the men’s 200 metres at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, is now in third place in the Diamond League standings in the men’s 100 metres with 18 points. He only trails Baker (22 points), and Chijindu Utah of Great Britain (20 points).

De Grasse has twice won the bronze medal in the men’s 100 metres at the Olympic Games. The first time came at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and the second time at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.

Meanwhile, it was an exceptional time for Arop in winning the men’s 800 metres. Arop dominated the field with a time of 1:44.51. Ferguson Cheruyiot Rotich of Kenya won the silver medal with a time of 1:45.02 and Emmanuel Kipkurui Korir of Kenya won the bronze medal with a time of 1:45.05. Elliot Giles of Great Britain had a fourth-place time of 1:45.46. The medals for De Grasse and Arop will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. 

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