Andre De Grasse is back on familiar ground and motivated by a high level of competition in preparation for an important Olympic year.

The six-time Olympic medalist and reigning Olympic 200-meter champion has returned to training with his former coach Rana Reider at the Tumbleweed Track and Field Club in Jacksonville, Florida.

De Grasse, 29, trains alongside reigning Olympic 100-meter champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy and 2022 World 100-meter bronze medalist Trayvon Bromell of the United States . De Grasse says he is refreshed by competition in training, after a year of training alone.

“Last season motivated me,” said the Markham, Ontario native. It was hard not having a training partner.

“It wasn’t an ideal season, of course. I had injuries etc. But the fact of qualifying for the final at the Worlds and having triumphed at the Diamond League; I tell myself that I was able to do this without a training partner.

“And I know I can do a lot better if I have people to push me and motivate me. They all have strengths that can help me. »

After a season training under John Coghlan in Orlando, De Grasse returned to Jacksonville for a variety of reasons, including family.

“I remember what worked for me,” he said. John was a very good coach and I learned a lot from him. So it has nothing to do with that.

“But I have this familiarity with Rana. I experienced great success under his guidance. »

De Grasse cut ties with Reider in 2022 while the coach was the subject of an investigation by the U.S. Center for Safety in Sport over allegations of sexual misconduct.

His legal team confirmed the case was settled on May 9. He admitted to having “a consensual romantic relationship with an adult female athlete” and was not charged with other allegations of this nature.

Reider, who is 53, agreed to one year’s probation as a sentence, which allowed him to continue training top athletes.

De Grasse enjoyed the peak of his career under Reider’s guidance between 2018 and 2022. He achieved his best times in the 100 meters (9.89 seconds) and 200 meters (19.62 seconds) at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He also had his best individual result at the Worlds in 2019, winning silver in the 200 meters.

After suffering twice from COVID-19 and dealing with a foot injury in 2022, De Grasse only regained his momentum towards the end of the 2023 season.

He qualified for the Worlds by winning the 200 meters at the Canadian Championships in July on his last chance to secure a ticket to Budapest, Hungary. He was unable to qualify for the 100 meters and settled for sixth in the 200 meters at the Worlds.

Things finally clicked when he clocked 19.89 during a Diamond League event on September 8. He followed that up by winning a first title in the prestigious competition on September 17 with a time of 19.76, his fourth best time ever over 200 meters.

It was the first time since his triumph at the Tokyo Games that De Grasse managed times under 20 seconds in the 200 meters.

While some athletes prefer not to reveal their strategy to rivals in training, De Grasse is comfortable being around opponents since they are among the elite of his sport.

“We all have to go through our own Olympic trials and we are on different teams,” he noted. If we meet in competition, it means that we have almost reached our goal and we must be ready to give our all at that moment.

“That’s where it gets a little more intense, during this last month, when we compete on the track. But I believe it helps us get the best out of ourselves. »