Tokyo (AFP)

Announced in 2016 as the potential successor of Usain Bolt, the Canadian Andre De Grasse will have had to wait five years to win his first major title, that of the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics, the first without the Jamaican legend.

The photo had been around the world: the immense Bolt, big smile, his head turned towards little one from Grasse, all in joy too, both easy and chambered in the semi-finals of the 200m at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016.

With all three medals for the Canadian, 21 at the time (bronze over 100 and 4x100m relay, silver over 200m), he had been named as King Bolt's heir.

"He's going to be very good, he runs like me," said "La Foudre".

Finally, the native of Scarborough, Ontario had many setbacks until he reached the Grail on Wednesday in Tokyo in 19 sec 62, becoming at 26 years old the 8th performer of all time on the U-turn.

"I waited a long time for this moment and I trained hard for it, he appreciated. I knew that the Americans were going to push me, to force me to beat my personal best", he indicated.

A cascade of injuries, including hamstring injuries in 2017, nearly cost the runner two seasons, born to a father from Barbados and a mother from Trinidad and Tobago.

"2017 was a difficult year for me, I was in London to watch the Worlds (injured), I knew I could have won a title there. Then I came back in 2018 and got injured in the same place, I 'was shot, I had an additional year of care. Fortunately the Doha Worlds were in October (2019), "he said in the mixed zone.

Andre De Grasse (c) wins the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics ahead of American Kenneth Bednarek, August 4, 2021 Andrej ISAKOVIC AFP

De Grasse recovered in Doha with the silver in the 200m and the bronze in the 100m.

- "You saw me?"

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On Wednesday he was able to greet his relatives directly via a screen system set up at the edge of the track.

"Yuri, did you see me? Did I win?" He asked his three-year-old daughter who was leaping for joy next to her mother, the world champion and Olympic runner-up. 2016 in the 100m hurdles, the American Nia Ali.

With his eternal sunglasses, no matter the time of day, and his many tattoos, the skinny Grasse also offered an Olympic title to his trainer Rana Reider, whom he joined in early 2019 in Florida and whose group knew catastrophic Olympics so far.

Her 100m-favorite American training teammate Trayvon Bromell had not even reached the final, and Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare was excluded from the Games after testing positive for growth hormone on July 31.

Andre De Grasse after his Olympic title in the 200m at the Tokyo Olympics, August 4, 2021 Jeff PACHOUD AFP

De Grasse will be able to talk about the heavy status of successor to the young American Erriyon Knighton.

At only 17 years old, the youngest selected of "Team USA" since 1964 failed to climb on a podium which he seemed to covet with greed.

At Knighton the "new-Boltometer" is at its maximum: in 2021 he became the fastest "teenager" of all time, breaking Bolt's cadet and junior world records in the 200m.

Almost at the same age, the Jamaican was simply eliminated in the Athens 200m series in 2004, the year Knighton was born.

The pressure must have been strong also for the favorite because American world champion Noah Lyles, only 3rd behind his teammate in the kung fu band Kenneth "Kenny" Bednarek.

He will still be able to savor a first Olympic medal.

© 2021 AFP