Andre De Grasse, 28, seeks to share some of the wisdom he has picked up on the track and off.Photo illustration The Globe and Mail. Source photo: Duane Cole/The Globe and Mail/The Globe and Mail
In the final pages of Ignite: Unlock the Hidden Potential Within, a new self-help memoir recounting his unlikely rise to the top of the sprinting world, Andre De Grasse acknowledges that he won’t be running forever, that he has one – or, at the outside – two Olympic Games left, and he’s already thinking about what comes next. “I’m much more than Andre De Grasse the sprinter.”
Indeed. Even as he continues tending his charitable foundation, founded to inspire youth, last month De Grasse announced the formation of ADG Ignite Ventures, an investment vehicle through which he trades his brand image for equity stakes in startup companies. With his new book, co-written with Dan Robson, De Grasse, 28, seeks to share some of the wisdom he has picked up on the track and off.
When were you happiest?
When I made my first basketball team. It was a big tryout. I was 11, 12, in elementary school. Just being accepted, when you make your first sports team – that was probably one of my first happy moments of my childhood.
What is your favourite trait?
Oh, I never thought about that. Usually people always tell me what they like about me. My favourite trait? I think I’m just, like, an easygoing guy.
What is your least favourite trait?
Um, wow. I guess you never think of that. Maybe I get a little anxious.
What is your greatest achievement?
Probably winning an Olympic gold medal. And off the track, I would say my greatest achievement is having my kids.
What is your greatest fear?
I try to live life with no fears. But I’m definitely scared of heights.
You’re a published author – not just this book, but also your children’s book, Race With Me! Who is your favourite author?
I have some authors that I like. I like Tim Grover, who endorsed my book. I like Malcolm Gladwell. I read the Harry Potter novels, J.K. Rowling, when I was a kid. But I would say, right now, the book that I really like is Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable. So I would say Tim Grover.
Why that book?
It gives me inspiration. Especially in my career and in my sport, we tend to doubt ourselves sometimes, or not have the self-belief. So, that book gives me that little extra push, motivation to remind myself of who I am, and just continue to really be like the title – Relentless, in my sport.
You’re not the first person I’ve interviewed who’s cited that book. P.K. Subban also said it was great.
Really? Yeah. I haven’t read it in a while, but I remember reading it after 2016, when I had some injuries. It gave me that inspiration.
Do you have a favourite film?
Anything, really, with Denzel Washington, Will Smith. They’re my two favourite actors. But I always like a classic. I watched Love & Basketball the other day, it’s always a go-to film. So, yeah, I would say that movie.
In your new book, you write, ‘With privilege comes responsibility.’ You’re referring to the privilege of representing your country. But that reminded me of Spider-Man’s mantra, which of course is ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’
That’s one of my favourite movies, too.
Well, I was wondering – do you have a favourite superhero?
I would say definitely Spider-Man. I grew up watching that as a kid, and I mean, I still even play the video game – they have Spider-Man 2 coming out, end of October. So I’ll definitely be grabbing that video game.
Which system?
I’m a PlayStation guy. I play Xbox as well, but right now I think it’s only coming out on PlayStation.
What are your top three videogames?
From a sports standpoint, I play FIFA, and then of course NBA 2K. And when my kids are not watching, I play a lot of Call of Duty: Warzone.
When your kids are around, do you have a favourite program to watch with them?
We watch a lot of anime. We watch Naruto, and I kind of take them back to my days with Dragon Ball Z. And then of course the older one likes to watch Pokemon and then the younger one will watch PAW Patrol.
What is your favourite possession?
I guess it’s got to be my Olympic medals.
It doesn’t have to be. I mean, if that’s the case, that’s totally legit.
I can’t think of anything else right now. I guess my house?
Is there a journey that you would like to take?
Yeah, Egypt, I definitely would want to go out there and check it out. Be in the sand dunes, kind of thing. I heard it’s amazing. And maybe a tour around Greece.
Is there a word or a phrase that you overuse?
I live by this mantra, ‘Speak it into existence.’ It’s something that I always tell myself when I’m going through a rough time.
What is your favourite sport to watch?
Basketball.
Favourite team?
Just watching LeBron – you never know when he’s going to be retired, he’s about to be 40. So it’s just, appreciating greatness and watching it before it’s gone. So I try to watch him every chance I get right now. And it kind of gives me that motivation to say, Hey, maybe that could be me, on track.
Keep going to 40?
Yeah.
Favourite sport to bet on?
Well, it depends. When the World Cup comes, I like to bet on soccer. And then basketball when the playoffs come. Football – the Super Bowl.
What’s the biggest bet you’ve ever made?
Should I be saying that on the record? I don’t know, maybe, like, five grand.
And what was the result?
I ended up winning. It was basketball, during the playoffs when the Miami Heat were facing the Boston Celtics. I went with the over/under.
What are you listening to these days?
I listen to a lot of hip-hop, R&B, reggae dancehall. I listen to a lot of Drake, The Weeknd. And I would say Burna Boy, he just came out with an album.
What’s the hardest thing about being an athlete that people don’t fully grasp?
A lot of people ask me, How are you so fast? Like, were you just born fast? And I’m, like – No, I’m not born fast. I mean, yeah, I might have a little bit of talent but I have to nurture that talent. Because everyone at this level is talented, right? So now it’s all about who’s going to work the hardest, who’s going to be more determined, who’s going to be mentally strong, who’s going to put in the hours on the ice or on the field or on the track. I get that question a lot where people think that, yeah, I just get out of bed and run fast. If it was that easy, I would love to have that superpower, take that pill. You ever see those Instagram posts and they’re like, What power pill would you rather have? It’s not a superpower. It doesn’t work like that.
What talent do you wish you had?
I wish I was a good golfer. Everyone’s always inviting me to golf, as I get older. So I’m trying to work on my golf game.
I can’t imagine you have much time to practise.
Yeah, I don’t. I actually wanted to go before the weather gets bad here in Toronto, just work on my swing for a bit, because everyone keeps inviting me, Hey, you want to come to this golf tournament?
Sure, all those charity golf tournaments. And then you go out and everyone figures, Well, Andre’s an awesome athlete, he’s got to be good at golf! And then you just shank it.
Exactly! Yeah. So I’m working on my game, as we speak. Especially as I reach my thirties, you know, everyone’s going to be like, Hey, come golfing!