Andre De Grasse becomes first Canadian sprinter to win Diamond League final

History was made at the 2023 Diamond League Final in Eugene, Ore., on Sunday afternoon as Andre De Grasse became the first Canadian sprinter to win a Diamond League final, clocking a season’s best 19.76 seconds in the men’s 200m.

De Grasse got off to a great start and found himself level with the American sprint duo of Erriyon Knighton and Kenny Bednarek coming out of the bend. De Grasse used his vintage 100m speed and created a gap in the final 50 metres to secure the 2023 Diamond League 200m title.

Diamond. League. CHAMPION 💎

It has a nice ring to it 🏆#TeamCanada pic.twitter.com/KyJqXX17LR

— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) September 17, 2023

This marks his second consecutive season’s best performance. Last week, De Grasse ran 19.89 seconds in Brussels, finishing second to Bednarek, the 2022 world silver medallist. That was his first time breaking the 20-second mark in 2023.

The world championship gold medallist, Noah Lyles, did not compete in the 200m race, opting for the 100m on Saturday, where he finished second to Christian Coleman.

This race is the fourth-fastest 200m time of De Grasse’s career, and is a positive step forward as he looks ahead to 2024 with the aim of defending his Olympic 200m title.

Canada’s Aaron Brown finished sixth, with a time of 20.23 seconds.

Marco Arop smashes Canadian 800m record at Prefontaine Classic

It was a historic weekend for Canadian athletics at the Diamond League final, hosted by the 2023 Prefontaine Classic. World 800m champion Marco Arop won silver in the men’s 800m in 1:42.85, setting a new Canadian record in the process. World silver medallist Sarah Mitton also claimed second place in the shot put on Saturday, marking a remarkable achievement with three medals for Canada at the Diamond League final for the second straight year.

For full results from the Prefontaine Classic and Diamond League Final, click here.