Andre De Grasse says he’s found new motivation — and a new creative outlet — as he heads into the 2025 season.
The 30-year-old from Markham, Ont., has faced repeated questions about his future and whether he’ll race at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. At the 2024 Games in Paris, De Grasse missed the 100- and 200-metre finals for the first time due to a hamstring injury, but anchored Canada’s men’s 4x100 relay team to a gold medal.
He said it's been "crazy" the number of times he's been asked about his future despite having said he plans to go to L.A.
"I want to show people," De Grasse said. "It's definitely a blessing, and I'm definitely grateful to be in the sport for that long and be doing it at a high level, and I just want to keep defying the odds, keep breaking limits.
"(It would) be a full-circle moment for me to get to the L.A. Olympics 2028, and then we can go from there. We can re-evaluate this," the University of Southern California product added. "Just go with the flow and just continue to remember to keep having fun and enjoying myself and embracing the moment."
The seven-time Olympic medallist has kept himself busy off the track over the years, launching wines, writing books and making investments — including in AFC Toronto of Canada’s new professional women’s soccer league, the Northern Super League.
He's working on a new project: a biopic about his origin story from age 15 to 21 — a period he says makes him "emotional" to reflect on and has helped him find motivation in his current life.
De Grasse found inspiration in the idea at the Toronto International Film Festival, watching the film "Unstoppable" about one-legged wrestler Anthony Robles, who won an NCAA championship in 2011.
"It was just an inspirational story," De Grasse said. "It got me thinking, I was just like, 'This is a cool story, great biopic on his story and, you know, people always have told me that, humbly speaking, of course, that I have a great story.
"(Then) I was like, 'OK, what's the next step, you know, like how do I bring this to life?' And of course, a lot of other people were interested in telling my story ... I'm just grateful for the opportunity that people will want to tell my story."
Funding is still being raised, with Endy founder Rajen Ruparell on board as an investor. Producing are Stuart Henderson and Javiera Quintana of 90th Parallel Productions, along with industry veteran Martin Katz (The Shrouds, Maps to the Stars, Hotel Rwanda). Caleigh Bacchus will write the film.
Ruparell says Canadian stories such as De Grasse's need to be told, "now more than ever."
Katz said he was already intrigued by De Grasse’s story, but meeting him sealed the deal.
"I think the thing that stands out for me about this story is that there's a clear analog, you know, to one of the great sports movies of all time, the first Rocky, and (Andre's) story," Katz said.
“You know, Rocky’s story — about a completely unconventional person who wants to be champion, who has perseverance and the intention to win — and what changes his life is this encounter with this coach, when Rocky Balboa meets Mickey Goldmill … it’s that relationship where the coach sees a champion buried inside a contender and refuses to give up on Rocky.”
On the track, De Grasse has been healthy and training under new coach Mike Holloway at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla.
He is set to compete in the 100 on Saturday and the 200 on Sunday at a Grand Slam Track event in Miami — part of a new pro series aiming to bring star power and prize money to the sport outside the traditional Diamond League. De Grasse will face familiar rivals from Olympic finals, including Americans Kenny Bednarek and Fred Kerley, in both races.
"I'm excited to race and I think this format is pretty cool because it's something that I'm used to doing at championships, so I'm definitely looking forward to it," De Grasse said.
"Having the best athletes be a part of it so that it can take off and do something special (and) it makes sense financially as well for everybody."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2025.
Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press
