Usain Bolt Teasing De Grasse Mid-Race Was a Charming Display of Friendship

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The world's fastest man Usain Bolt and Canadian challenger Andre De Grasse have a charming friendship going. In the preliminary races and the finals of the men's 100-meter, there was a lot of mutual respect going back and forth between the two. That continued Wednesday when the pair were far enough ahead of the other runners that they basically had a joke between each other in the middle of the race.

The pair ran the men's 200-meter semifinal Wednesday and had a good laugh down the home stretch. Bolt had everyone beat with just a little bit to go and was clearly taking his foot off the gas a bit. De Grasse did not, he tried to push through and move past the most legendary sprinter there ever was.

De Grasse, with a smile on his face, tried to gun it past Bolt, surprising him by pushing hard when he was clearly going to qualify for the final. That got a big smile from Bolt, who gave a little push at the last second to make sure that De Grasse didn't pass him, even if it was just a qualifying race. They finished first and second, and Bolt gave De Grasse a wag of the finger after they cross the finish line, as if to let him know that he's not letting anyone past,no matter what the circumstances are.

Despite the look of fooling around a bit, De Grasse set a new Canadian record in the 200-meter.

Watch the race above or get a slightly different view below that shows just how close they were. Then watch De Grasse and Bolt race in the men's 200-meter final Thursday at 9:30pm ET.

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Dustin Nelson is a News Writer with Thrillist. He holds a Guinness World Record, but has never met the fingernail lady. He’s written for Sports Illustrated, Men’s Journal, The Rumpus, and other digital wonderlands. Follow him @dlukenelson.
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