De Grasse, Brown cruise into 100m semis at track and field worlds
Canadians fail to crack 10-second mark, but finish 2nd in respective heats
Canada's Aaron Brown and Andre De Grasse took care of business at the track and field world championships on Friday.
The 100-metre medal hopefuls each earned automatic entry into the semifinals after placing second during their respective heats in Doha, Qatar.
Toronto's Brown, the reigning national champion, ran 10.16 seconds in the first heat before De Grasse, of Markham, Ont., clocked in at 10.13 in the second.
Neither sprinter came close to his personal best. De Grasse even suffered a quick scare at the outset of his race.
WATCH | De Grasse advances to 100 semifinals:
"I think I slipped out of the blocks a little bit, so I just gotta go back and work on that a little bit coming into the semifinals," De Grasse said.
"But I didn't panic. I knew going home I could just rely on my top end, but in the semifinals I can't do that so I just gotta tighten it up."
WATCH | Brown's second-place finish sends him to semis:
Brown also said there were things he needed to improve if he hopes to make the final.
"I have a long schedule ahead of me so I didn't wanna come out guns blazing in the first round. When I saw I was in the top two, I kinda just cruised the last little bit, didn't press it too much," Brown said.
The Canadians will run in the semifinal on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. ET, with the final scheduled for 3:15 p.m. ET. Brown will run in the first heat beside American star Christian Coleman, while De Grasse will run in the second with 2017 world champion Justin Gatlin.
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In the first world championships without retired sprint star Usain Bolt since 2003, Coleman maintained his status as the favourite after winning his heat with the day's best time at 9.98. Coleman, 23, was the only sprinter to break the 10-second mark.
Coleman entered the worlds amid some controversy after missing three drug tests within one year, which is supposed to carry the same penalty as a positive result. However, a technicality related to the dates of the missed tests absolved the Atlanta native and allowed him to compete at worlds.
WATCH | Brown feeling confident after successful heat:
Fellow American Gatlin also eased his way through at 10.06. The 37-year-old beat out Bolt for gold ay the last worlds.
"It feels a little different. Usually when he's around it's pandemonium," Gatlin said. "You see a lot of young guys. They're stepping up and filling that void."
WATCH | De Grasse says he didn't realize Gatlin would be in his heat:
NCAA champion Divine Oduduru of Nigeria was a surprise withdrawal from his heat. No reason was immediately reported.
2011 champion Yohan Blake won in 10.07 despite the slowest start in his heat. The fastest man besides Coleman was Akani Simbine of South Africa in 10.01, while Britain's Zharnel Hughes and Brazil's Paulo Andre Camilo de Oliveira also won their heats.
WATCH | Coleman sets the pace during 100m heats:
With no major upsets during the heats, the semifinals should provide a big test for the Canadians.
"You gotta be on your 'A' game and I feel like I should be, so I'm ready to go," De Grasse said.
"Next round I gotta bring because there's gonna be some fire coming in these next couple heats," Brown said.
The top three sprinters in each heat, plus the next six fastest, all qualify for the semifinals.
With files from The Associated Press