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Andre De Grasse to open season at Inspiration Games

On July 9, De Grasse will run his first race of 2020

On July 9, Canadian record holder Andre De Grasse will open his 2020 track season at the Inspiration Games. There, he will run the 100-yard dash, competing in front of an empty stadium. Organized by the Diamond League in place of their meet typically held in Zurich, Switzerland, the Inspiration Games is one of the few races on the calendar for this summer. 

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De Grasse hasn’t raced since the world championships final in Doha, where he placed third in the 100m. However, with the summer season including only a limited and condensed schedule, De Grasse will be happy to race at all. Athletes will compete across California, Florida and Switzerland. 

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De Grasse, who will race in Florida, will face training partner Omar McLeod and Jimmy Vicaut of France in the 100-yard event. 

They will be joined in the competition by 200m Olympic and world champion Allyson Felix of the U.S., Bahamian 400m Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Switzerland’s world championship 200m bronze medallist Mujinga Kambundji. Kambundji will race in Zurich, while Felix and Miller-Uibo will run in the U.S. 

London 2017

Running off distances

Many track meets this summer will include an atypical schedule filled with off-distances, as runners aren’t able to achieve Olympic standard until December 1, 2020. Without the ability to qualify for their event, Olympic hopefuls are taking this summer to train hard and run some fun races that they otherwise wouldn’t. 

The event will begin at 1 p.m. ET and can be streamed here

RELATED: 60 per cent of athletes against new Olympic qualification period

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