bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

Andre de Grasse, the triple Olympic sprint medallist, has pulled out of the World Athletics Championships in London with injury, boosting Usain Bolt’s chances of a golden swansong.
The Canadian was expected to be Bolt’s main rival for his 100 metres crown in the Jamaican’s farewell championship but he suffered a hamstring strain in training on Monday and will miss the rest of the season.
“The entire year this 100 metre race in London was my focus. I am really in the best shape of my life and was looking forward to competing against the best in the world,” 22-year-old De Grasse said in a statement.
“To not have this opportunity is unimaginable to me but it is the reality I am now faced with.
“I am sad to miss this chance but I am young and with treatment and rehabilitation I will be back and better than ever in the near future.”

After sustaining an injury this week, I'm devastated to let my fans know that I will be unable to compete in London.https://t.co/83S8RiyyLE
— Andre De Grasse (@De6rasse) August 2, 2017

<![CDATA[// ><!]]>

His manager Paul Doyle said the sprinter had suffered a grade two hamstring strain to his right leg.
“We tried to do everything we could to have him ready but he’s just not going to be ready,” Doyle said.
“Further MRI results today showed it’s probably going to be another four to six weeks before he’s fully recovered.
“So unfortunately he’s out of the 100 metres, 200 metres and the relay and done for the season.”
De Grasse, who won the Olympic 200-metre silver and bronzes in the 100 metres and 4 x 100 metres relay, had been due to line up in the 100 metres heats on the Championships’ opening day on Friday as the first part of another triple medal bid.
He had recorded the fastest time of the year, albeit strongly wind-assisted, of 9.69 seconds in Stockholm in June and had been shaping up as the man most likely to spoil the script in Bolt’s final Championship.
De Grasse first came on Bolt’s radar last year at the Rio Games when the confident Canadian pushed him hard in the 200 metre semi-finals, prompting the Jamaican to wag his finger at the youngster.
The pair had seemed to get on well but the atmosphere between them had evidently chilled a little this year, if Bolt’s comments at a media conference in London on Tuesday were anything to go by.
‘I can go even faster’: Hong Kong’s sole representative at the world athletics championships on her Rio woe and going quicker in London
Asked who might fill his shoes after he retires, Bolt made what appeared to be a pointed reference to De Grasse when he responded: “I’m not going down that road. The last guy I said was going to be great disrespected me.”
This was thought to be in response to De Grasse suggesting Bolt might be slowing down in his final season.
Also, there had been a claim from De Grasse’s team that Bolt had tried to get the Canadian ousted from the 100 metres that he was running at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco – a suggestion of ‘running scared’ that the Jamaican vehemently denied.
De Grasse’s absence from the 100 metres unquestionably boosts Bolt’s chances of ensuring he adds an eighth individual world championship gold to his incredible tally in his final solo race on Saturday.

Year in athletics: Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis shines, the US enjoys a stellar year

Hospital video footage helps clear Chinese long jump world champion Wang Jianan of doping

Who is Mondo Duplantis, who just set (another) pole vault world record?

Kenyan athletes shine at Tokyo world championships, but doping remains a problem

World Athletics Championships

Disappointment as Usain Bolt rival Andre de Grasse pulls out of the IAAF World Championships with injury

Canada’s Andre De Grasse said he was devastated to be missing out on the worlds. Photo: Reuters

FILE PHOTO: 2016 Rio Olympics - Athletics - Semifinal - Men's 200m Semifinals - Olympic Stadium - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 17, 2016. Usain Bolt (JAM) of Jamaica and Andre De Grasse (CAN) of Canada smile as they compete. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

(FILES) This file photo taken on August 18, 2016 shows Jamaica's Usain Bolt (2ndL) laughing with Canada's Andre De Grasse (L) after they competed in the Men's 200m Semifinal during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt labelled himself the underdog on August 1, 2017 as he seeks to round off his glittering individual track career with the defence of his world 100m title this week. / AFP PHOTO / PEDRO UGARTE

With federation suspended, 19 Russians head to athletics world championships as neutrals

World 110-metres hurdles champion Sergey Shubenkov will defend his title in London. Photo: AP

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 22, 2016 file photo, Russia's Maria Lasitskene smiles with her gold medal after winning the women's high jump competition at a Russian Grand Prix track and field indoor event in Moscow, Russia. Russia plans to send 19 athletes, including Sergei Shubenkov and Maria Lasitskene, to the track and field world championships in London in August 2017 despite its suspension from international competition over widespread doping. The 19, including three former world champions, have been given exemptions from Russia’s suspension after the International Association of Athletics Federations reviewed their history of drug testing. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

The London stadium, the venue for the upcoming IAAF World Championships is reflected in the water of a canal in London, Britain, July 30, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

People walk in front of the London stadium, the venue for the upcoming IAAF World Championships in London, Britain, July 30, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

Kenya’s Olympic hero David Rudisha out of world athletics championships due to injury

David Rudisha of Kenya (R) on his way to winning the 800-meters final at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial Track and Field Grand Prix in Szekesfehervar, Hungary. Rudisha will miss the world championships which begin on Friday. Photo: EPA

‘I can go even faster’: Hong Kong’s sole representative at the world athletics championships on her Rio woe and going quicker in London

Jessica Ching Siu-nga will be Hong Kong’s sole athlete at the upcoming world championships in London. Photo: Facebook

Ching Siu-nga wants to become the first 20km race walk athlete to qualify for the Olympics from Hong Kong. SCMP Pictures (Handout)

Sport

Other Sport

The showdown between the Canadian and the Jamaican was set to be one of the highlights of the championships


Disappointment as Usain Bolt rival Andre de Grasse pulls out of the IAAF World Championships with injury

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The showdown between the Canadian and the Jamaican was set to be one of the highlights of the championships

The showdown between the Canadian and the Jamaican was set to be one of the highlights of the championships