Reigning champ De Grasse out of 200m final while Lyles qualifies 3rd
Defending 200m Olympic champion Andre De Grasse fell short of the 200m final at the Paris Games after coming third in his semifinal heat Wednesday. American Noah Lyles, who won Sunday's 100m race, qualified third.
De Grasse's semifinal loss follows the Canadian flag bearer's failure to qualify for the 100m final and the Canadian Olympic Committee's decision to revoke the credentials of his coach, Rana Reider, between the two events, citing "new information about the appropriateness of Mr. Reider remaining accredited."
The Paris iterations of the 100m and 200m races mark the first Olympic events De Grasse has competed in without medaling. De Grasse attributed his disappointing performances to an injury he reaggravated in July.
"I thought I was pretty much healthy coming into the Games, but I kinda picked it up a little bit in the 100 meters, and I felt the effects the next day," De Grasse said to CBC's Devin Heroux. "The pain was too much, so I didn't even push. I knew it would be tough to make the finals after that."
De Grasse added that his injury should not affect his 4x100m relay team, as it "doesn't hurt as much on the straights."
Lyles' time of 20.08 seconds put him second in his semifinal and third overall. He joins fellow Americans Kenneth Bednarek, who qualified second overall, and Erriyon Knighton, who qualified fifth. Lyles is the reigning world champion in the 200m.
The 200m final is set for 8:30 p.m. Paris time Thursday. The heats for the 4x100m relay begin Thursday morning.
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