By STEVE SIMMONS, Toronto Sun
WHEN DONOVAN Bailey was training at the University of Texas for the 1996 Summer Olympics, this 12-year-old always seemed to be around.
The kid wanted to run with the big boys, especially with his brother, Donovan Powell, but also with Bailey, the Jamaican-born Canadian who was headed for two gold medals that special summer and a world-record time in the 100 metres.
Bailey knew that the kid loved being around the track, but had no idea of the kind of talent that was in him.
This past week, the kid ran the fastest 100 metres in history in a stirring time of 9.77 seconds on the Olympic track in Athens and Bailey smiled. He thought it would happen last summer when all the world was watching.
The kid’s name: Asafa Powell.