By Suramya Kaushik
Jan 16 (Reuters) – Seven-time Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse has set his sights on competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as his final Games, aiming to regain top form in the 100 meters event.
The 31-year-old Canadian sprinter, who took bronze in the 100m at both the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, missed out on qualifying for the 100m final at the 2024 Paris Games.
“I want to do one more Olympics – LA 2028. I want to try to get back competitive in 100 meters,” De Grasse, the international event ambassador for Tata Mumbai Marathon, told reporters ahead of the event on Sunday.
“The 100 meters is one of my favourite events. I love it more than the 200 meters, even though I won the 200 meters at the Olympics.
“I want to try to get back competitive in that race and try to get back into finals and bring back some medals again.”
De Grasse, who anchored Canada to men’s 4x100m relay gold at the Paris Olympics, plans to work on reducing his time, setting personal best goals for Los Angeles. However, he acknowledged the importance of securing qualification first.
“I still have to qualify to try to get there. That’s what I’m working hard towards. I kind of want that to be my final Games, kind of near close to home soil,” De Grasse said.
ENHANCED GAMES
When asked about the Enhanced Games — a controversial event set for May in Las Vegas where athletes may use performance-enhancing substances under medical supervision — De Grasse said he was unaware of the competition specifics but that he believed in clean sport.
“I’m not exactly sure what it is, but I guess only time will tell once we figure out from the first competition what it is,” he said.
“I’ve always competed as a clean athlete, so it never crossed my mind of using performance drugs… I believe in clean sport and fair play,” he added.
“That’s what I’ve always prided myself in and why I do what I do. I want to try to be the best I can doing it clean.”
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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