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Rio 2016: Canadian Andre De Grasse qualifies for 100m final

Usain Bolt of Jamaica, Andre De Grasse of Canada and Chijindu Ujah of Britain compete in the 100m semifinals. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

RIO DE JANEIRO – Canadian sprint star Andre De Grasse has cruised into the final of the men’s 100 metres at the Rio Olympics.

The 21-year-old from Markham, Ont., ran 9.92 seconds to tie his personal best to finish second behind Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt in their semifinal, automatically moving on to the final later tonight.

With 20 metres to go, De Grasse turned and looked three times to making sure he was clear of the rest of the field – making his fast time all the more impressive.

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Bolt, a six-time Olympic champion, crossed in 9.86.

Jimmy Vicaut of France won the first semi in 9.95, American Justin Gatlin, the Olympic gold medallist in 2004, won the third semi 9.94.

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De Grasse won bronze at last summer’s world championships and is making his Olympic debut in Rio.

The final is scheduled for later tonight.

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