© Copyright – 2015 – Athletics Illustrated
The May 16/17th weekend was productive for a couple of Canadian runners, starting with a new Canadian sprint record in the 200m event as well as a Pac-12 sweep by Andre De Grasse from Toronto, Ontario, where he took a 100m record as well. In Florida, there was an ACC 1500m championship win by Justyn Knight also of Toronto. Knight won despite losing a shoe partway through the race.
De Grasse, who competes for the University of Southern California first ran the 100m in 9.96, bettering Ato Bolden’s and the 35-year-old Drake Stadium record of 10.03. His 200m time was 20.03, bettering Aaron Brown’s national record of 20.16, which De Grasse shared. His teammates BeeJay Lee and Just’N Thymes finished second and third for a sweep of the event. De Grasse’s previous best in the 100m was set May 3rd at the Payton Jordan Invitational where he ran 10.03; he is having an excellent 2015 spring season.
The last time a Canadian broke the 10-second benchmark was during the late 1990s where both Bruny Surin and Donovan Bailey eclipsed the benchmark many times each. They currently share the national record – a former world record – at 9.84. Usain Bolt owns the top-three times with his performances of 9.58, 9.63 and 9.69.
Knight, a Syracuse freshman won the 1,500m race in the time of 3:47.85 at the ACC Track and Field Championships, despite losing the shoe about halfway into the event.
“It was tough because I didn’t have any grip, but I knew I didn’t want to come second without a shoe, so I had to come first,” Knight said after the race.
The Oregon men and women, for the seventh-consecutive year swept the Pac-12 Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Championships, which were held in Drake Stadium on the campus of UCLA. Meanwhile, the Florida State Men and Clemson Women Claim the ACC title for 2015.
