Andre De Grasse wins 200-metre gold, sets Pan Am, Canadian record

TORONTO – Canadian sprint sensation Andre De Grasse laid down another stunning performance Friday.

The 20-year-old from Markham, Ont., shattered his own Canadian 200-metre record to win gold at the Pan American Games.

De Grasse crossed in 19.88 seconds, beating his previous mark of 20.03 to become the first Canadian in history to run both a sub-10, in the 100 metres, and sub-20 in the 200.

Running blind out of Lane 8, amid a world-class field, De Grasse battled down the homestretch to outlean Jamaica’s Rasheed Dwyer and Panama’s Alonso Edward at the finish line.

Dwyer and Edward crossed in 19.90 — Dwyer taking the silver and Edward the bronze.

De Grasse won the 100 metres on Wednesday night in 10.05.

His performance led of another strong night at the Pan Am track. Nathan Brannen of Cambridge, Ont., won silver in the 1,500 metres, while Charles Philibert-Thiboutot of Quebec City won the bronze.

Genevieve Lalonde of Moncton, N.B., raced to bronze in the women’s 3,000-metre steeplechase.

De Grasse, meanwhile, has burst onto the international scene this season with a series of eyepopping results. He broke the Canadian record in the 200 — 20.03 — before breaking his own mark on Friday.

He also became the first Canadian in 15 years to break the 10-second barrier in the 100.

He’s coming off an NCAA season that saw him sweep the 100 and 200 titles.