DOHA, Qatar — Canada's Andre De Grasse won the last of three semifinals to qualify for the men's 200-metre final on Monday at the world track and field championships.
De Grasse, who won a bronze medal on Saturday in the 100 metres, finished in 20.08 seconds in the 200 for the fifth-fastest semifinal time.
Toronto's Aaron Brown also advanced to the final. He finished third in the first semi and seventh overall in 20.20 seconds.
The top two in each semi and the next two fastest runners advanced to Tuesday's final.
Toronto's Brandon Rodney failed to qualify, coming 13th overall in 20.34 seconds.
The event lost one of its elite competitors when American Chris Coleman withdrew from Sunday's preliminaries.
Coleman told The Associated Press that he needed a break after sprinting to victory in Saturday's 100-metre final.
De Grasse, from Markham, Ont., won his third career world championship medal in the 100. He has rejoined the world's sprinting elite after a frustrating stretch of two lost seasons to hamstring injuries.
De Grasse's troubles began at the 2017 world championships in London, where his hurt hamstring forced him to withdraw from the 100- and 200-metre events. De Grasse, 24, was considered a medal contender in both events — perhaps even a threat to beat Jamaican legend Usain Bolt — after a highly successful three-medal performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2019.
The Canadian Press
