Don’t get me wrong, I grew up dreaming about being a sports star one day. Maybe not in track, but still, I’ve always wanted to be famous. Who doesn’t? Sometimes I have pinch myself because this really feels like I’m in a dream.  People care to know my name, even though they don’t say it right half the time (it’s De Grass not De Grassi).  It seems that everyone is pretty impressed by my performances and are inspired by what I have accomplished. It’s a great feeling. I can’t complain about that at all. But at the same time, I’m a simple guy.  Everyone who knows me knows I’m generally a laid back dude. I’m not the one that likes to put on a show other than within my races. I do my thing on the track, and after that, I’m chillin.  I can’t say that I am totally prepared for all the cameras, interviews, and questions.  Sometimes reporters ask me all these technical and historical questions about track and I don’t really know how to answer them because I am not a veteran in this sport.  It’s a little embarrassing at times. But, I guess I brought this on myself. And with the things coach Caryl believes I can do on the track, I can only assume my life is gonna get even crazier, especially with the Olympics coming up next year.  It’s something I’m going to have to get used to. It will probably take some time.  I used to get pretty nervous when I played basketball in high school. I’m not sure exactly why. It wasn’t because I was unsure of my skills or anything like that, but I don’t know, it felt different than being on the track.  Some sprinters talk about how nervous they get when they compete. I don’t know — I’m still trying to figure out what everyone is so nervous about.  I feel that when I compete it’s “just me out there.” I am running for myself without any pressure. It’s not like basketball where I have a bunch of guys relying on me. Actually, the nerves I get during an interview could easily top the nerves from basketball and track combined. Lol!  But to me, if I don’t perform on the track it’s on me, and that’s it. Maybe I just think about it in a weird way. This is all new to me though. Maybe with time I’ll learn what there is to be nervous about?
I'm suddenly being put in the same sentence with the most elite sprinters in the world - CBC Longform