Seven-time Olympic medallist and world champion sprinter Andre De Grasse of Canada, the International Event Ambassador for the 21st edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) to be run this Sunday, entered the Media Centre at Azad Maidan on Thursday to a round of applause.
It’s well documented that De Grasse was a basketball player before taking up sprinting seriously, but he surprised many when he said, “I played soccer, you call it football in India, before that, then it was basketball, till I finally switched paths to track. I grew up in Canada watching ice hockey. Here, I know cricket is massive in India.”
The sprinter in an easy breezy interactive session spoke about looking forward to competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “I will give it one more shot,” he said. “I’m looking at the 100, 200 and relays, like always. My training for these Games is slightly different. Earlier, I trained six days a week, this time it’s five. I’m also a bit older now [laughs]. I take two days, my coach thinks that’s good too, for recovery. I also did a bit of pilates earlier,” said De Grasse, who bagged the 200m gold at Tokyo 2020 besides a top-podium finish in the 4x100m relay at the Paris Games in 2024.
Highlighting the significance of the mental side of competing at the top level, De Grasse said: “My parents ensured I stay grounded. I was out of action in 2017-2018 [hamstring injuries]. That’s how fast things change in sport. One day you’re on top, the next, out of it. My family, coach, and therapist were supportive. Even through that down time, I knew I’d not just be back on track, I’ll be back on the podium one day. De Grasse laughed when asked if he’d ever run a marathon. “Maybe not the full distance at once. I’d like to move from 5K to the 10K, take mini steps towards that,” he concluded.
Two
No. of Olympic gold medals won by Andre De Grasse
