Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse secured his fifth trip to the Diamond League Final after a solid performance in the 200-meter race at the Weltklasse Zürich meet. De Grasse finished in 20.03 seconds, coming in behind Kenny Bednarek of the United States with a world-leading time of 19.62 and Sinesipho Dambile of South Africa with a time of 19.82. This race marked De Grasse’s first 200-meter event since his victory in Zagreb, Croatia, where he clocked 19.95.
De Grasse, who set the Canadian record of 19.62 in the 2021 Olympic final in Tokyo, has a history of success in the Diamond League. His standout moment came in 2023 when he won the Diamond League Trophy in Eugene, Oregon, becoming the first Canadian to achieve this since Dylan Armstrong’s shot put victory 12 years earlier. In this year’s Diamond League Final, De Grasse ran a season’s best time of 19.76 to claim the 200-meter title.
Having placed third, second, and sixth in previous Diamond League Finals, De Grasse aims to secure Canada’s first championship since Sarah Mitton’s shot put win two years ago in Brussels. The upcoming Final in Belgium will feature a competitive field, including Dambile, Letsile Tebogo of Botswana, Makanakaishe Charamba of Zimbabwe, and other top contenders.
De Grasse will be joined at the Final by fellow Canadians Marco Arop and Mitton. Arop, a strong contender in the 800 meters, previously clinched third place and a bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Mitton, on the other hand, faced controversy in a past Diamond League Final due to a technicality in her winning throw, ultimately dropping her to third place in the standings.