De Grasse wins Diamond League bronze in Brussels
Andre De Grasse won the bronze medal in the men’s 200m at the Allianz Memorial Van Damme Diamond League meet in Brussels, Belgium, on Friday. It was a first medal on the Diamond League circuit this season for the reigning Olympic 200m champion.
De Grasse clocked 19.89 seconds, while the other Canadian on the start line, Aaron Brown, followed not far behind, taking fourth place in 19.98 seconds. Both Canadians ran season’s best times. American Kenneth Bednarek won the race in 19.79, followed by Britain’s Zharnel Hughes with a time of 19.82.
It was a successful meet for Team Canada, as Sarah Mitton took silver in the women’s shot put on Thursday.
READ: Sarah Mitton wins Diamond League silver medal in Brussels – Team Canada
Brown and De Grasse are qualified for the Diamond League final, to be held in Eugene, Oregon, on September 16 and 17. Brown finished first in the overall circuit rankings in the 200m. His fourth-place finish in Brussels was preceded by third-place finishes in Doha in May and Florence in early June, as well as a fifth-place finish in Lausanne at the end of June and a sixth-place finish in Zurich on August 30.
Prior to his medal in Brussels, De Grasse took part in Diamond League meets in Doha, Oslo, Lausanne and Zurich, alternating between sixth and fifth places. He concluded the Diamond League season in sixth place overall, good enough for a lane in next weekend’s final.
