Andre De Grasse trades spikes for books, fulfilling promise to mom
TORONTO — Andre De Grasse is on a break between classes at the University of Southern California, and for once he has nowhere to be.
There have been no track practices or lifting sessions for the 21-year-old for weeks. He hasn’t run down the track since his stunning Olympic debut at the Rio Games. It’s been all about the books as he finishes his sociology degree — fulfilling a promise he made to his mom Beverley.
“I made a promise to her and a lot of people, even here at USC, that I would come back and finish what I started because I didn’t want to leave that chapter of my life behind,” De Grasse said after class, from Los Angeles. “I enjoyed my time here at USC so much, and a lot of people see me here putting in a lot of work and effort, and I didn’t want to let that go to waste, and I thought this would be the perfect time now that the Olympics are over.”
The sprinter from Markham, Ont., took two months off since he captured a silver and two bronze medals in Rio. He kept active playing pickup basketball or soccer with friends.