(Don Ryan/AP)
BEIJING — Canadian sprint sensation Andre De Grasse has tied for bronze in the 100 metres at the world track and field championships in a personal best 9.92 seconds.
Jamaica’s Usain Bolt finished first in 9.79 while American Justin Gatlin placed second in 9.80. American Trayvon Bromell tied De Grasse for bronze.
Third place went down to a photo finish, with De Grasse and Bromell recording the same time to the thousandth of a second.
“I didn’t know I had won the race, I didn’t know you could actually tie for a bronze medal, so I didn’t know if they were going to give it to Bromell or me,” De Grasse said. “I’m really happy for him, and I’m proud of myself. To race against these guys and make the final, I couldn’t end the season any better than that.”
De Grasse, a 20-year-old from Markham, Ont., broke the Canadian record in the 200 metres at last month’s Pan American Games. He’s the only Canadian to ever run a sub-10-second 100 metres and a sub-20 200.
De Grasse has burst onto the international scene this season with a series of eye-popping results. He broke the Canadian record in the 200 twice and became the first Canadian in 15 years to break the 10-second barrier in the 100.
He’s also coming off an NCAA season that saw him sweep the 100 and 200 titles.
Gatlin, who won the 100 at the 2004 Olympics before serving a four-year suspension for doping, had been unbeaten in 2015 and had the season-leading time of 9.74 heading into the race.
The only time Bolt has failed to win gold in a sprint at a major championship since the 2008 Games was when he was disqualified for a false start at the 2011 worlds.
De Grasse ran 9.96 in the semifinal earlier Sunday to finish second behind Bolt.
“I had a lot of confidence after the semifinals, seeing myself that close to Bolt, that boosted my confidence a lot for the finals,” De Grasse said. “My coach (Caryl Smith-Gilbert) told me ’This is your chance right now to go get a medal, and just go with them.’ I’ll go with them, they’ll take me with them.”
Earlier Sunday, Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton won a silver medal in the women’s heptathlon.
The 26-year-old from Humboldt, Sask., rebounded from a disappointing Day 1 that had her in fourth place heading into Day 2. She finished with 6,554. Jessica Ennis-Hill of Great Britain won the gold in 6,669.
Theisen-Eaton also won silver at the 2013 world championships.
Andre De Grasse: From beginner to winner in just three years
