The 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest have been full of surprises. However, it came as no surprise as Noah Lyles won two gold medals in a week. Lyles won the 100m event in a breathtaking 9.83 seconds and then stood victorious in the 200m event by clocking 19.52 seconds. His win was a dominant win, but one of his goals was to break Usain Bolt’s world record of 19.19 seconds. Nevertheless, the Lightning Bolt’s favorite on-the-field rival, Andre De Grasse, also graced the 200m track but finished a lowly sixth.

De Grasse has won a medal in every Olympic or world championship he has participated in. However, this time around, the tables have turned for the Canadian, who would be returning empty-handed from Budapest. Once touted as the guy to beat by the iconic Usain Bolt, De Grasse reflected on his overall tournament performance after the 200m event.

Canadian star reflects on his loss to Noah Lyles

Before the 200m event, Andre De Grasse had withdrawn from the Canadian 4×100 relay team in order to rest for the 200m race. The result? Canada, who were the defending 4×100 relay champions, failed to qualify for the finals as they ran in 38.25 seconds. De Grasse’s rest also did not do him any good as Noah Lyles blew all competition out of the water and even De Grasse finished sixth, just like his relay teammates, with a time of 20.14 seconds. According to a CBC report, the 28-year-old track star said, “Of course if I was on the anchor leg we’d have been in the final, but I only had one run in my legs so I had to just give it my best shot in the 200 to give me a chance to get on the podium.”

As Noah Lyles asserted his dominance on the tracks of Budapest to win gold, the silver medal was seized by the young US sprinter Erriyon Knighton, who clocked in at 19.75 seconds, while Letsile Tebogo of Botswana secured bronze at 19.81 seconds. As De Grasse was nowhere near the podium, he further elaborated on his disappointing season by saying, “I shouldn’t have been here, to be honest. I shouldn’t have been in the final just the way my season was going.” However, this wasn’t all as the talented runner has also raised other concerns regarding future events.

Andre De Grasse raises concerns for the Paris 2024 Olympics

The Canadian also mentioned that he wishes that the schedule for next year’s Paris Olympics would be different from the world championships. Since this time around, he had to decide between the relay and the 200m event because they were scheduled for the same day. It remains to be seen how the Olympic organizers will schedule events, but they are bound to think about players getting over-exhausted by multiple events on the same day.

Read more: After 7 Years of Losing to Usain Bolt’s Record, Noah Lyles Posts the Perfect Finish at World Athletics Championship

This tournament is a first for the Canadian where he could not stand on the podium. However, track fans know about his potential and his ability to bounce back, and will be eagerly waiting for him to dominate the track again at next year’s Paris Olympics.

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