FILE PHOTO: Athletics - World Athletics Championship - Men's 200m - National Athletics Centre, Budapest, Hungary - August 23, 2023 Canada's Andre De Grasse during heat 6 REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo
(Reuters) - Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse thrives on sport's biggest stages - the brighter the lights, the better for the six-times Olympic medallist.
De Grasse has not made headlines with any sizzling performances so far this season in the build-up to the Games, but the 29-year-old is a traditionally slow starter and has the enviable ability to crank up his performances once the Olympic torch is lit.
"It's the highest stage possible, it's something that you've been you're working towards, you put all the hard work in, made a lot of sacrifices for these moments and you just want to go out there and do your best," De Grasse told Reuters in an interview.
"When I put on that bib and I put on that (Canada) uniform, knowing that I'm not just representing myself, I'm representing my country, my family, my friends, it inspires me and gives me that motivation to just go out there and give it my all."
De Grasse has taken a patient approach by racing in smaller meets, and on Tuesday the Olympic 200 metres champion finally dipped under the 20-second barrier in that event for the first time this season in winning the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary.
Patience can prove fleeting, however, when rivals such as Americans Noah Lyles and Kenny Bednarek -- who have the top two times this season of 19.53 and 19.59 respectively -- are laying down quick performances.
"It is hard to stay patient, but they're on a different plan than me," De Grasse said. "But I have had time to be patient to say 'okay, I don't have to run as fast right now. I can work on some things and train through it so that when it matters I'm more fresh and I'm more ready.'
"I don't want to start off my season too early, so chose to go to more low-key meets where there's not as much stiff competition, so I could work on some things and get better.
"I started off my season late, I knew it's not going to make sense if I'm in only 10.1 (for the 100m) or 20.2 shape, and these guys are already running sub-10 and sub-20. My coach was like, let's just pull back, train and let's just compete locally and try to work on some things."
LA OLYMPICS
De Grasse's six Olympic medals make him Canada's most decorated male Summer Olympian. He has no plans to stop after Paris either.
De Grasse, whose interview was part of a promotional campaign with sponsor Invisalign, is keen to race at next year's World Championships in Tokyo after winning 2020 Olympic gold in a virtually empty stadium there due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He would like to carry on until at least the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"People around me are always saying, 'Andre you can go longer than you think, you got into the sport so late, 16, 17, you don't have that mileage that other people have who have been running since they were kids (have),'" De Grasse said.
De Grasse was a top basketball player before he famously ran a high school 100m race from a standing start in basketball shorts and borrowed spikes.
His raw speed was enough to catch the eye of coach Tony Sharpe. De Grasse went on win the NCAA 100 and 200m titles for the University of Southern California before turning pro.
"I always thought if I can get to L.A., that would definitely be a special moment for me, because that's kind of where it all started, when I went off to (USC)," he said.
"If I can go longer, even better, but that's the plan, to try to make it to at least to LA.
"The moment I stop having fun with it then, yeah, I'll be done with it," he added. "But if I'm still having fun and enjoying it and having a great passion for it, I'm going to keep going."
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris)
