By Frank Pingue
TORONTO, July 21 (Reuters) - Canadian sprint sensation Andre
De Grasse took a step in the right direction in his bid to sweep
three events at the Pan American Games by advancing to the
marquee 100 metres semi-finals on Tuesday.
De Grasse won his heat in 10.06 seconds, leaving plenty in
the tank for Wednesday's semi-final where he will try to qualify
for the final that night.
"It felt pretty good, this was the first time actually on
the track today, I wasn't able to go yesterday but it felt
really good," said De Grasse, who is also competing in the men's
200m on Thursday and men's 4x100m relay beginning on Friday.
"I'm trying to get out here and get through the rounds."
De Grasse emerged this year as Canada's biggest sprinting
sensation since Donovan Bailey, who won the 100m gold at the
1996 Atlanta Olympics with a then-world record time of 9.84.
The 20-year-old is already the first Canadian since 1999 to
run under 10 seconds in a 100m race when he clocked 9.97 seconds
at the Pac-12 track and field championships two months ago.
He followed that with a wind assisted run of 9.75 seconds at
last month's U.S. collegiate championships in Oregon.
De Grasse's race on Tuesday was nowhere near his best - he
ran 9.95 seconds earlier this month in Edmonton - but he gave
exactly enough to advance and was able to get a feel for the
track and starting blocks.
And like some of the great sprinters before him, it is all
part of a bigger plan to peak at the right moment.
"That's really all that matters isn't it? You need to have
the big performance when it matters and Andre has proven that,"
Tony Sharpe, a 1984 Olympic sprinter who is one of Canada's top
sprint coaches, told reporters.
The day was circled on many Canadians' calendars since it
marked De Grasse's first race of the Games but a pair of his
compatriots did well to grab a share of the spotlight.
Shawn Barber, a favourite to medal at next month's world
championships in Beijing, equalled a Pan Am record when he
cleared 5.80 metres in the men's pole vault to capture the gold
medal.
Elizabeth Gleadle was sitting third going into her final
attempt of the women's javelin competition but used her best
throw of the day - 62.83 metres - to claim the gold and knock
American Kara Winger off the top step of the podium.
For De Grasse, the potential of winning a gold medal on home
soil in the showcase event of a multi-sport competition would be
a huge step in getting Canadian sprinting back to those
Bailey-like levels.
It also comes with immense pressure and the expectations of
an entire country, something Sharpe does not expect will rattle
the sprinter.
"Before, he was kind of in the background but now that's
it's on him it's going to be great to see how he responds to
that bit of pressure," said Sharpe.
"Now you know who Andre De Grasse is, so it's a little
different and we'll see how he responds, but I have a feeling
that he'll be just fine."
(Editing by Gene Cherry)