Andre De Grasse, Usain Bolt qualify for 200 final

By Benjamin Blum, CBC Sports

Usain Bolt still has a step on Andre De Grasse, but the Markham, Ont., native is pushing the savvy veteran.

Wednesday night offered another glimpse at the budding friendship/rivalry between Olympic icon Bolt and rising star De Grasse.

• SCHEDULE & RESULTS: Track and field at Rio 2016

De Grasse's Canadian record in the 200 metres took a backseat to yet another candid moment at the finish of the race between the two elite sprinters. Both men qualified handily for Thursday's final, but it was how they did it that turned heads.

"I don't think he expected me to do that," De Grasse said after the race. "I had to push him a little bit, you know, see what he has left in the tank."

De Grasse gained ground on Bolt in the final metres, but the Jamaican simply smiled and wagged his finger at the 21-year-old as he crossed the finish line first.

"He was supposed to slow down," Bolt commented on the 21-year-old's charge at the end. "I said, 'What are you doing? It's a semifinal.' But I think he wanted to push me."

That's their relationship in a nutshell: simultaneously playful and calculating. While the duo have shown respect and admiration for each other — and "#DeBolt" was trending online Wednesday evening — both are in Rio for the sole purpose of winning medals.

"I want to push for gold, and even if I don't get it, I got to push [Bolt] to his potential, his limits and see what he has left," De Grasse said.

Despite the absence of American Justin Gatlin and Jamaica's Yohan Blake, the rest of the final has several medal threats that could force their way into the narrative. For now, though, the champ and the kid remain the focus.

Remind you of anyone?

With files from The Canadian Press