Home > Rio 2016

Fans react to Canadian sprint superstar Andre De Grasse’s 100m bronze

Canadians reacted to Andre De Grasse bringing home a bronze medal in the men's 100m on Sunday night at the Rio Olympics.

Andre De Grasse

Hooked on a feeling. ☝?// Cette émotion, ce moment. ☝?

A photo posted by Canadian Olympic Team (@teamcanada) on

Canadian Andre De Grasse took home bronze in one of the greatest sprint races in Olympic history on Sunday. The men’s 100m did not disappoint as Usain Bolt won his third consecutive title in the marquee event. Understandably, Canadians reacted to De Grasse winning his first Olympic medal in his debut at the Games.

RELATED: De Grasse delivers the goods; wins bronze in the men’s 100m.

Not only did the 21-year-old win bronze, he beat the second fastest man ever in the event, Yohan Blake, and set a new personal best of 9.91. Donovan Bailey, the Olympic champion in the 100m in 1996, said before the race that the Canadian record, which he owns, was in jeopardy. The race did not turn out to be a scorcher in terms of time as Bolt won in 9.81, off his 9.58 world record.

The Markham, Ont. native is considered the heir to Bolt as the world’s sprint superstar. He signed an US$11.25 million deal in 2015, the largest contract of its kind. De Grasse ended Canada’s 20-year Olympic medal drought in the men’s 100m with his third-place performance. Justin Gatlin, a drug cheat who has been busted twice, finished second, 12 years after winning 100m Olympic gold in Athens.

Many people noted that it was a “passing of the torch” between Bolt and De Grasse.

Here are some of the best tweets and moments, with a Canadian focus, as posted to social media on Sunday.

While Bolt’s signature move is the lightning pose, De Grasse’s signature feature is his right arm. As he strides, he extends his right arm fully rather than keeping it at a 90 degree angle. To honour his trademark feature, there has even been a Twitter account created in reference to it, named “Andre Arm.”

Andre De Grasse earns Canada's 13th medal of #Rio2016 on day nine. ??➕?

A photo posted by Canadian Olympic Team (@teamcanada) on

De Grasse celebrates his bronze medal

Bolt and De Grasse hug it out

A very proud mother

A shoutout from Toronto mayor John Tory

Canadian Brianne Theisen-Eaton managed to get a selfie as she collected her heptathlon bronze medal

Shoutout from the prime minister

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The best trainers in Canada under $150

We curated the best performance trainers under $150 to meet your 2024 running goals, while staying on budget