?It?s Windy Here?- Andre de Grasse?s Medal Chances Disrupted by Troublesome Winds at Doha Diamond League

The Doha Diamond League 2022 conjured Olympic memories with eight events featuring clashes between medalists from Tokyo. The matches included men’s high jump co-gold medalists Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi, 200m gold medalist Andre De Grasse and bronze medalist Noah Lyles. Doha also featured the women’s 400m gold medalist Shaunae Miller-Uibo against silver medalist Marileidy Paulino.

While going into the race in the 200m, there was no clear favorite, although De Grasse was certainly in the mix to win owing to his Olympic triumph. But it wasn’t to be as America’s Noah Lyles had other plans.

Andre De Grasse has his say about the race

Canada’s De Grasse finally broke his jinx of losing out on Olympic gold in Tokyo this year. The sprinter won the 200m event at the Tokyo games, beating out America’s Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles for the win.

Hence, the expectations from the Canadian were high, but his fans were left disappointed as the runner finished outside the top three. After the race, Andre gave a quick interview as the sprinter expressed his delight at seeing the fans.

“It’s windy here, but it was a good race. I feel that I’m getting back in shape. My goal for the world championship is to get a medal. Qatar is amazing with fans. It’s good to be back here,” he said.

The official wind reading of the night came in at +2.1seconds, so all times of the night were deemed illegal. Andre finished fourth with a time of 20.15seconds (.146). Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards finished third with a time of 20.15seconds (.142). America’s Noah Lyles and Fred Kerley secured the top two places with a time of 19.72seconds and 19.75seconds respectively.

Although De Grasse finished outside of the medal positions, it was still good to see him race and have a good time. We hope he continues to improve on his performance and give the fans a show as he always has.

READ MORE: The Real Story Behind Usain Bolt and Andre De Grasse?s Iconic Smile During an Olympics Race

Pole Vault event postponed because of the wind

Andre De Grasse certainly wasn’t lying about it being windy out there. The Doha Diamond League was also supposed to play host to the men’s pole vault event, but there was too much wind to conduct the event.

As a result, the event has been postponed for the next day. The Diamond League men’s pole vault event will now be held indoors as the one-day event will have to take place over two days.

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