Andre De Grasse is the first Canadian sprinter to win three Olympic medals in a single Olympic competition. This achievement brought him into the spotlight of the sports world. His career dates back to his youth in high school before his talent was discovered and properly nurtured. Learn all about him here.
Bio of Andre De Grasse
De Grasse was born on November 10, 1994, in Scarborough, Ontario, the son of Beverley De Grasse (mother and former high school sprinter in Trinidad and Tobago) and Alexander Waithe (father, from Barbados). He grew up mostly in Markham, Ontario, and attended St. Marguerite Bourgeoy’s Catholic Primary School in Scarborough from kindergarten to second grade before moving to Mother Teresa Catholic Primary School in Markham.
He won his first competitive race in Mother Teresa’s eighth grade in 2006, before studying at Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy and Milliken Mills High School. Here he continued to compete and was known for wearing basketball shorts and conversation shoes on the track. In his first 100m race, Andre finished second with an impressive 10.9 second time, earning the attention of coach Tony Sharpe.
Continuing his education, he attended Coffeyville Community College from 2013 to 2014, before transferring to the University of Southern California in 2015.
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Career – Amateur And Professional
Before 2015, Andre De Grasse was already a champion after winning three gold medals in the 100, 200, and 4* 100-meter races at the 2013 Canadian Games.
In May 2015, he won the Pac 12 championship with a time of 9.97 seconds in the 100-meter race. This was the first time in his career that he ran 100 meters in under 10 seconds. At the NCAA Championships in 2015, he again showed an impressive performance, winning the 100-meter race with a time of 9.75 seconds; the wind was +2.7 m/s. This made him the seventh fastest man in the world and of course the fastest Canadian ever.
At the 2015 NCAA Championship, he still finished the 200m race in an impressive 19.58 seconds, almost half a second faster than his personal record set just four weeks earlier. At the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, he won a bronze medal in the 100-meter race, with American Trayvon Bromell finishing in 9.92 seconds. He won another bronze medal in what was then the biggest race of his life when he won bronze in the 4*100-meter relay with a time of 38.13 seconds with team members Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney, and Justyn Warner.
By this time he had begun to attract the attention of many major brands for sponsorship contracts, and so he signed with Puma for $11.25 million.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he finished third in the 100-meter race behind the faster Justin Gatlin and the fastest Usain Bolt with 9.91 seconds. He was the first male athlete to win a medal for Canada at the Games, and with the promise of doing better in the remaining finals, he was ahead of him. Usain Bolt was very supportive of him when he was seen hugging him after the race and told reporters that he runs just like him, albeit a bit slower in the “blocks”, but once he gets going, he runs pretty fast.
Andre De Grasse did not disappoint in the rest of the matches either, winning a silver medal in the 200-meter final with 20.2 seconds and also taking bronze in the 4*100-meter relay after the third-placed American team was disqualified for passing the baton outside the zone, which is called a zone injury.
Days before the 2017 Stockholm Diamond League World Athletic Championship, he had pulled his hamstring and was forced to withdraw from the competition. He got better quite quickly and we hope he will win more races in the course of his career.
Andre De Grasse Net Worth
It is believed that Andre De Grasse is much richer than he appears. His multi-year contract with Puma is worth about $11 million, with bonuses of about $30 million. His exact net worth is not known as there are conflicting reports from various sources. However, he is certainly rich and since he is still young, you expect him to get even richer.
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Family: Parents
His parents were not originally Canadian. His mother moved to Cannada when he was 26 years old, while his father had lived in Canada since he was a teenager. You could say that he inherited his genes for fast running from his mother, who used to be a sprinter in Trinidad and Tobago.
His parents, especially his mother, are devout Roman Catholics, and this had a great influence on the shaping of his younger life. He grew up in Markham, Ontario with his three siblings Julian and Dante Waithe (brothers) and Alexandra Waithe (sister).
Height, Weight, Body Measurements
The athlete is smaller than most successful runners who have made a name for themselves on the track. He stands 176 cm (5 feet) above the ground and has a well-regulated body weight of 70 kg (154 pounds).