RIO DE JANEIRO -- Canadian star sprinter Andre De Grasse is on track for a second sprint medal at the Rio Olympics, cruising into the semifinals of the men's 200 metres Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Markham, Ont., runner, who won a bronze in the marquee 100 metres on Sunday night, was first in his heat in 20.09 seconds, the best time of the day.
Two-time defending champion Usain Bolt of Jamaica, the gold medallist in the 100, won his heat in 20.28, though he admitted he wasn't working very hard.
"It's the morning session and I'm not really a morning person," he said. "I see a lot of the young guys trying to run fast in the heat but for me it is important to win to qualify. I didn't really run that hard out there."
The semifinals are Wednesday with the final set for Thursday night.
The top two in each heat advanced along with the four next fastest times.
Toronto's Aaron Brown and Brendon Rodney of Brampton, Ont., were both third in their heats and had to wait to see if they would advance. Brown's 20:23 made the cut while Rodney's 20.34 wasn't enough.
De Grasse's 100-metre bronze on Sunday was Canada's first medal in the storied event since 1996. Bolt won gold in 9.81 while De Grasse finished in a personal-best time of 9.91 seconds.
De Grasse won double gold in the 100 and 200 at last summer's Pan American Games, but Bolt and other top sprinters weren't in the field.
After the 200, De Grasse will complete the triple in Rio by anchoring Canada's 4x100-metre relay.
In other preliminary events Tuesday, Nathan Brannen of Cambridge, Ont., and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot of Quebec City both advanced to the semifinals in the men's 1,500, while Nikkita Holder of Pickering, Ont., and Phylicia George of Markham moved on to the semifinals in the women's 100-metre hurdles. Angela Whyte of Edmonton failed to advance.
Toronto's Kelsie Ahbe earned a spot in the women's pole vault final, while Alysha Newman of London, Ont., and Anicka Newell of Toronto were both eliminated.
Calgary's Jessica O'Connell and Andrea Seccafien of Guelph, Ont., both failed to qualify in the women's 5,000.
