Canada's Derek Drouin wins gold medal in men's high jump at Rio 2016

CTV News Channel: Drouin talks victory The Ontario native that snagged a gold medal for a stunning high jump performances talks about his win and what it means to him.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Olympic Stadium buzzed with activity on Tuesday night, as samba music blared, fans roared, and runners sped past him in a blur.

Derek Drouin saw none of it, just a bar a good foot-and-a-half taller than he is that stood between himself and Olympic glory.

The Canadian soared to gold in the men's high jump at the Rio Olympics in utterly dominant fashion. And moments after the win, a Canadian flag clutched under one arm, the 26-year-old from Corunna, Ont., talked about his remarkable sense of calm and confidence.

"The last couple of days I've just had realizations where I'm like 'I don't feel nervous at all, I'm not anxious at all, I am so excited to get out there,"' Drouin said. "Because I was confident in my preparation. And also I just love the Olympics, and I was just taking the whole moment in and being so so excited to be here."

The six-foot-four Drouin was silky smooth, clearing every height on his first attempt with the nerves of an assassin, en route to gold medal jump of 2.38 metres.

"He's just got a wonderful demeanour about him," said his coach Jeff Huntoon. "He talks about being able to zone everything else out, to be in a stadium of 70 or 80,000 last year (in Beijing) and 30-40,000 tonight, I believe him if he said he didn't see anything else. He's focused on what he's going to do. . . and that's why he looks like he does.

"Some may call it boring, but it was awful damn exciting tonight."

It was medal No. 14 for Canada and the third for the track and field squad.

Mutaz Barshim of Qatar captured silver at 2.36 while Ukraine's Bohdan Bondarenko claimed bronze at 2.33.

Drouin won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, and then jumped to gold at the world championships last summer in Beijing.

"This is obviously something I'll cherish a lot more (than world gold)," he said. "I've grown up wanting to be an Olympian, and as I've sort of become an elite athlete, that's obviously shifted to wanting to be an Olympic gold medallist. The Olympics are only every four years, there's a reason why they're so special."

Drouin's love of leaping high bars goes back to an elementary school gym class, and the basement of his Corunna home, where he'd jump over a broom handle onto a couch. The hallway was his run-up.

On the sport's biggest stage Tuesday night, he stepped up to the lime green tape that marked his takeoff point -- green is a superstition leftover from high school. He slapped his face a few times. He raised an arm and leg, visualizing his jump.

Drouin had clinched a medal when only three jumpers were left after 2.36, but on this night, only one colour was good enough.

"Four years ago, if I'd had that moment where I could have exhaled because I was in the top three I would have been ecstatic," he said. "Even a few months ago. . . I would have been ecstatic to hear that.

"But the last couple of days, I've been feeling so so confident, and I said 'I don't think that's going to happen. I don't think I'm going to have that exhale. I'm still going to be hungry to win, I'm coming out here to win gold.'

"I certainly didn't take a sigh of relief, I was definitely gunning for the big one."

Bondarenko passed his final attempt at 2.38, a risky strategy that didn't pay off. He missed on his one and only shot at 2.40.

Drouin would attempt 2.40 -- it would have been an Olympic record -- but he was already too overcome with emotions.

Holding up the Canadian flag like Superman's cape, he looked across to the crowd, at his parents, sisters, and his college roommate at Indiana, and his eyes welled up with tears.

Drouin is Canada's first Olympic high jump champion since Duncan McNaughton at the 1932 Los Angeles Games, and the first Canadian in 84 years to win track and field medals in back to back Games.

A reporter asked him about joining Canada's list of illustrious Olympic champions like Donovan Bailey, Marnie McBean and Catriona LeMay Doan, and Drouin drew a deep breath.

"When you grow up idolizing people like that, it's really really difficult to see yourself as one of them," he said. "So, I don't know if I could ever consider myself in that company."

Canada already claimed two bronze medals in track and field in Rio: Brianne Theisen-Eaton in the heptathlon and Andre De Grasse in the 100 metres.

De Grasse is on pace for a second sprint medal at the Rio Olympics, cruising into the semifinals of the men's 200 metres earlier Tuesday.

The 21-year-old Markham, Ont., runner, who won a bronze in the 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 won double gold in the 100 and 200 at last summer's Pan American Games, and double bronze in the 100 and the 4x100-metre relay at the world championships.

After the 200, De Grasse will complete the triple in Rio as part of Canada's 4x100 team.

Elsewhere, Johnathan Cabral of Peribonka, Que., made it to the final of the 100-metre hurdles, where he finished sixth.

In other preliminary action 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.

Vancouver's Liz Gleadle was ninth in her javelin qualifying group and did not advance.