Olympic Roundup: #DeBolt bromance resumes in men’s 200-metre semi

By The Canadian Press

Andre De Grasse cruised into another final at the Rio Olympics.

The star sprinter from Markham, Ont., finished neck-and-neck with reigning champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica in the men’s 200-metre semifinals on Wednesday during Day 12 of competition.

De Grasse finished in 19.80 seconds, besting his own record of 19.88 seconds set at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. Bolt finished slightly ahead of De Grasse in 19.78. Toronto’s Aaron Brown did not advance to the 200-metre final after finishing his heat in seventh.

“I always want to push him (Bolt), and I feel like I have a great shot to get on the podium again,” De Grasse said. “My coach (Stuart McMillan) told me to go out there and try to make him use as much energy as possible in this race, because I think you’re going to do a better job recovering than he is.

“I’m younger. We’ll see what happens.”

De Grasse will try to add to his medal total on Thursday in the 200 final. He’s already won a bronze from the 100-metre final on Sunday.

Damian Warner of London, Ont., also has a chance to medal on Thursday in the decathlon. He’s in third after the first day of the event, behind American world record-holder Ashton Eaton and Germany’s Kai Kazmirek after five events.

The world silver medallist has 4,489 points, while Eaton, the reigning Olympic champion, has 4,621 points. Kazmirek is second with 4,500.

“It’s up to me now tomorrow,” Warner said. “I was expecting to come out here and score a lot of points on Day 1 and that didn’t happen.

“Day 2 is something that I always look forward to because I know that I am very strong in a lot of those events. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Also on the track, Melissa Bishop of Eganville, Ont., qualified with the best time in the women’s 800-metre heats of one minute 58.38 seconds.

Matthew Hughes of Oshawa, Ont., finished 11th in the men’s 3,000-metre steeplechase final with a time of 8:36.83.

Mohammed Ahmed of St. Catharines, Ont., qualified for Saturday’s final in the men’s 5,000 metres finishing sixth with a time of 13:21.00. Luc Bruchet of Vancouver finished 37th with a time of 14:02.02 and did not advance.

Phylicia George of Markham, Ont., finished eighth in the 100-metre hurdles final in 12.89 seconds. Nikkita Holder of Pickering, Ont., tripped over the second to last hurdler and crashed hard to the track during the semifinals.


Related stories:

Sportsnet: Canada no match to Russia in men’s volleyball

Sportsnet: Canada misses podium after losing jump off with Germany

Sportsnet: Canada’s Yeats loses bronze medal match to Sweden

Sportsnet: Henderson sits five strokes back of lead after one round at Rio


VOLLEYBALL

The dream run for Canada’s men’s volleyball team came to an end on Day 12 of the Rio Olympics after the squad bowed out one game shy of competing for a medal.

The 12th-ranked Canadians lost 25-15, 25-20, 25-18 to No. 3 Russia in the quarter-finals today.

The loss ends a surprising Olympic run for Canada, which made its first Summer Games appearance since 1992. The team needed a last-chance qualifier in June to earn the spot in Rio.

EQUESTRIAN

Canada just missed the podium in Olympic show jumping, losing to Germany in a jumpoff for bronze.

Yann Candele of Caledon, Ont., Tiffany Foster of North Vancouver and former Olympic champion Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, Ont., have all qualified for Friday’s individual final.

WRESTLING

Montreal’s Dorothy Yeats fell short of capturing a medal, losing her battle for bronze in women’s 69-kilogram wrestling.

GOLF

At the Olympic Golf Course, Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., survived an up-and-down opening round, carding a 1-under-par 70 that included a pair of double bogeys and an eagle. Alena Sharp of Hamilton finished with one-over-par 72.

DIVING

In the pool, divers Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion are still in the hunt for their second medals of the Games after the Canadians qualified for the next round in the women’s 10-metre platform event.

Benfeito finished sixth with a score of 329.15, while Filion placed eighth with 323.55. The Laval, Que., natives repeated as bronze medallists in the women’s 10-metre synchronized event in Rio.

CANOE/KAYAK

Elsewhere in the water, Ryan Cochrane of Windsor, N.S., and Hugues Fournel of Montreal have qualified for Thursday’s final of the men’s K2 200 metre.

Cochrane and Fournel were nominated to the Canadian Olympic Team just over two weeks ago after a Russian crew was suspended due to a doping infraction.

Montreal’s Emilie Fournel did not advance to the K1 500-metre final, but will race in the women’s K4 500 metres on Friday with Andreanne Langlois of Quebec City, Genevieve Orton of Lake Echo, N.S., and K.C. Fraser of Oakville, Ont.

Burlington, Ont., native Mark Oldershaw raced in the heat and semi of the men’s C1 200 metre but did not advance.

Other Canadian results on Wednesday:

CYCLING (BMX)

Men – Tory Nyhaug of Coquitlam, B.C., placed 18th in the seeding round with a time of 35.422.

WRESTLING

Women’s 48 kilogram class – Jasmine Mian, Barrie, Ont., lost in the round-of-16 to Yanan Sun, China, 14-4, did not advance.

Women’s 58 kilogram class – Michelle Fazzari of Caledonia, Ont., lost her round-of-16 match to Elif Yesilirmak of Turkey, 3-1, did not advance.

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