Not slowing down: Andre De Grasse competing at Grand Slam Track in Miami, has eyes on L.A. 2028

Justin Piercy · CBC Sports

· Posted: May 01, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

One of Canada's astir decorated Olympians isn't acceptable to halt competing astatine the Summer Games.

In an interrogation with CBC Sports up of this weekend's Grand Slam Track Miami event, Andre De Grasse said helium intends connected moving astatine L.A. 2028.

The seven-time Olympic medallist said he'll beryllium taking a season-by-season attack to effort to physique toward different Games, but the thrust is inactive there.

"I consciousness similar I inactive got immoderate much successful the tank, truthful I'm decidedly going to effort to propulsion to 2028 successful L.A.," De Grasse said.

This archetypal play successful a caller Olympic quadrennial volition beryllium a engaged 1 for the 30-year-old Canadian sprinter, capped by the satellite championships successful Tokyo successful September.

But earlier the worlds, oregon adjacent week's World Athletics Relays, De Grasse volition proceed this play with the Grand Slam Track conscionable astatine Ansin Sports Complex successful Miramar, Fla.

Watch each the enactment from Grand Slam Track Miami opening connected Friday astatine 5 p.m. ET connected CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. Click present for the afloat broadcast schedule.

For De Grasse, a autochthonal of Markham, Ont., the determination to vie successful the caller elite way league had a batch to bash with location.

He's presently grooming astatine the University of Florida successful Gainesville, Fla., nether manager Mike Holloway. That's wherever De Grasse won the 200 metres successful 20.32 seconds astatine the Florida Relays 3 weeks ago, and followed that up by helping Canada triumph the 4x100m relay event.

WATCH | Team Canada's victorious tally astatine 2:38:

Grand Slam Track — the brainchild of American sprint fable Michael Johnson — presented the accidental for De Grasse to tally his archetypal 100-metre contention of the play against apical talent, without going overseas. It besides means that De Grasse – who presently lives successful Florida with his partner, American hurdler Nia Ali, and their 3 children – tin enactment person to home.

"I thought it would beryllium a cleanable accidental to effort it retired and inactive beryllium benignant of adjacent to location and not jeopardize excessively overmuch of my training," helium said. "We ever person to effort to spell overseas and question truthful acold conscionable to get a race."

WATCH | Andre De Grasse explains wherefore he's racing successful the Grand Slam Track circuit:

The caller league's format is different crushed that funny De Grasse. Grand Slam Track has athletes vie successful 2 antithetic disciplines, with points awarded successful some events related to placement. For De Grasse's men's abbreviated sprints group, that means moving successful some 100m and 200m races.

That format could service arsenic an vantage for the Canadian, who won Olympic golden successful the 200m astatine the Tokyo Games successful 2021 and is simply a subordinate of the reigning Olympic champion 4x100m relay team.

"It decidedly reminds maine a small spot astir how, erstwhile I spell to satellite championships, I tally the double. So, I felt similar this would beryllium bully training," De Grasse said. "I'm utilized to doing 2 races astatine a time, truthful I don't deliberation that would impact maine oregon fuss maine arsenic overmuch arsenic different athletes."

The tract successful Miami includes Americans Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley, Jamaica's Oblique Seville, and Great Britain's Zharnel Hughes.

De Grasse is precise acquainted with his contention and sees racing against them arsenic a bully measuring instrumentality astatine the commencement of a agelong season.

"These are guys that I've raced plentifulness of times astatine the Olympics oregon satellite championships," De Grasse said. "I consciousness similar it's a large tract for some races. I'm conscionable looking guardant to the challenge, and seeing wherever I'm at.

"It's going to beryllium my opener for the 100, truthful I'm looking guardant to seeing however I lucifer up against these guys."

Another rival successful the tract is idiosyncratic De Grasse knows precise good – his Canadian 4x100m relay teammate Jerome Blake. About a week aft they enactment up against 1 another, De Grasse and Blake volition erstwhile again squad up astatine the World Athletics Relays successful Guangzhou, China.

Competition successful the men's abbreviated sprints begins connected Saturday astatine 6:53 p.m. ET with the 100m event. The 200m contention is the last lawsuit connected Sunday, scheduled to statesman astatine 5:21 p.m. ET.

Other Canadians astatine the Miami lawsuit see Marco Arop (men's abbreviated distance), Charles Philibert-Thiboutot (men's agelong distance), and Lucia Stafford (women's abbreviated distance).

No slowing down successful 2025

The remainder of De Grasse's play volition spot him question astir the world, with the World Athletics Relays successful China starting connected May 10, positive Diamond League meets, and it culminates with the satellite championships successful Tokyo.

But helium besides has his oculus connected the seasons inactive to travel – and the 2028 Olympic Games.

"Obviously I'm taking it twelvemonth by year. But, I'm feeling beauteous good. I'm successful a caller grooming environment. So, yeah, I'm decidedly feeling beauteous good.

"The main happening for maine is conscionable staying healthy…and sound connected wood, I've been healthy. I've been feeling great. So arsenic agelong arsenic the assemblage is good, I tin support pushing and support going.

WATCH | Track's caller pro league, Grand Slam Track, explained:

De Grasse volition beryllium 33 years aged by the clip the adjacent Summer Games rotation around, but he's encouraged by examples of diversion longevity presently connected show successful track.

"I spot truthful galore different athletes that person done it. You're inactive seeing Shelly-Ann [Fraser-Pryce] inactive doing it, and she's [38] and moving brainsick times."

De Grasse besides has immoderate inspiration that's a small person to home. To beryllium specific, successful his home.

"My spouse Nia Ali, she was 31 oregon 32 erstwhile she won the satellite title successful 2019," helium said. "So, I consciousness similar anything's imaginable if you conscionable person the mindset, the dedication, and hard enactment to support telling yourself to bash it."