Canada’s Andre De Grasse will compete in the men’s 200 metre finals at the Rio Olympics Thursday night after the Ontario runner set a new Canadian record in the semi-finals Wednesday night.
Right on the heels of Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, De Grasse crossed the finish line in just 19.80 seconds.
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Athletes train for years to achieve results like these, so we thought it might be fun to put an average Canadian to the test to see how long it would take to run the 200m race.
And who better to run the race than our very own Kent Morrison.
With dozens of schools kids cheering him on, Morrison took to the track at Scona High School in Edmonton Thursday. Needless to say, he wasn’t quite as fast as De Grasse.
“There is a special kind of burn you feel in your lungs and your legs when you try to go all out at that distance,” Morrison said following the race.
“Olympic athletes make it look so short and so smooth when they race, it is definitely not short.”
Morrison got off to a fast start but began to lose steam on the turn. With about 50 metres to go, he said he could feel himself slowing down.
“I had nothing left in the tank. It really makes you appreciate the athleticism on display in Rio and all other athletic competitions and the hard work they put into preparations.”
Morrison crossed the finish line in 30.50 seconds.
“Special shout out to the kids from the YMCA summer camp who stuck around to cheer me on around the track. That was cool,” Morrison added.
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De Grasse will compete in the 200m men’s finals Thursday night at 7:25 p.m. MT.
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