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Over four years, Canadian track star Andre De Grasse has shaved seconds off his 200-metre sprint time.
This graphic shows his annual bests from 2013 through 2016, along with a high-school result. The clock stops at his personal best time of 19.80 seconds.
Tap 'Run' to see his remarkable progression.
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Shown at 2× speed
Run
2012
Racing for Milliken Mills High School of Markham, Ont., De Grasse runs a preliminary heat in 23.32 seconds at a regional meet. In doing so, he fails to qualify for the provincial high-school championships in the event.
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2013
De Grasse posts a season-best time of 20.72 seconds to qualify for the Canada Summer Games, where he later wins gold in 21.38 seconds.
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2014
Competing for Coffeyville Community College in Kansas, De Grasse sets a new personal record of 20.38 seconds in winning the NJCAA Division 1 outdoor title.
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2015
De Grasse makes waves at the Pan Am Games in Toronto, winning gold in both the 100- and 200-metre events. He ekes out the 200-metre victory in 19.88 seconds, both a personal best and Canadian record.
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2016
De Grasse finishes second in the Olympic semi-final in 19.80 seconds, setting a new personal mark and breaking the national record yet again. He goes on to win silver in Thursday night’s final.
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De Grasse’s best vs. Bolt’s best
Usain Bolt is the 200-metre sprint king. On Thursday, he won his third consecutive Olympic gold in the event. He holds the world record of 19.19 seconds, which he set at the world championships in 2009.
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Matt Lundy and Tom Cardoso/The Globe and Mail Sources: IAAF, Athletics Canada, trackdatabase.com and RunnerSpace.com
Note: Track is for illustration purposes and is not an exact replica of an Olympic track, but lane distances from start block to finish are equivalent lengths. De Grasse’s 2012 time has no wind information. Interactive uses average speed, thus final distances travelled are not exact to those performances.
