Click here for De Grasse's remarkable story in the OC Register.
De Grasse was a troubled youth growing up in Toronto, but he found salvation in running. "Track saved me, let me go on to a better future," De Grasse told Scott M. Reid of the OC Register.
Now, he has designs on running under 10 seconds in the 100m and under 20 seconds in the 200m, which would put him in position to lead the USC men's team to a Pac-12 or even NCAA championship. The Trojans have not won the conference since 2006, and the last national title came back in 1976.
Click here for the complete preview of the Pac-12 Championships.
While De Grasse still has many races to run before reaching his projected heights, the bar is now set extremely high for someone who once had no expectations. "Honestly, there was no plan," De Grasse told Reid. "I had been going down the wrong path. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life."
Whether he ends up on an Olympic podium some day or not, De Grasse is thriving on and off the track at USC under Director of Track & Field Caryl Smith Gilbert and sprints coach Quincy Watts. "I have a chance to do something special with my life," he said to the OC Register.
