Section: Cover\Olympics
Donovan Bailey wins track’s most coveted title in record-breaking time
It was the marquee event of the Olympic Games-the most exciting 10 seconds in the first week of what has already been a showcase for extraordinary athletic endeavor. Or rather, the most exciting 9.84 seconds, a blistering new world record set by Canada’s own Donovan Bailey, inheritor of the title that goes to the winner of the Olympic 100-m race: world’s fastest man. And at first, he did not seem to be running that fast at all. Bailey had a slow start out of the blocks. But he kept on gaining ground, accelerating to a pace of 12.1-m-per second at the 60-m mark, and powering past the field in his final 10 strides. And what a field it was. Namibia’s Frank Fredericks took silver with 9.89 seconds and even bronze medallist Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago finished in just 9.9. Together, the top three sprinters were the fastest medallists ever recorded. And Bailey was the standout. ‘When I started to accelerate and guys were still within reach of me," the elated victor said immediately afterward, “I knew I had it then.” the 100-m final on Saturday night was not only the fastest ever, it was also one of the most bizarre. It began with three false starts, two of them blamed on 36-year-old British runner Linford Christie, the gold medallist at the 1992 Games in Barcelona. That disqualified Christie, but the racers had to wait for official confirmation when he appealed for a review. Finally, Christie retreated to the sidelines where he stood, shaking his head in disbelief and watching as Bailey blazed over the finish line. Bailey gave out a joyful yell as he realized he had won. And then he ran a victory lap, a Canadian flag draped over his shoulders. "I ran my own race in the final,’ said Bailey. 'And I ended up here with the gold medal and a world record." His only disappointment he said, was that Montrealer Bruny Surin, finishing fifth in his semi-final heat with a run of 10.13 seconds, failed to make the final.
Bailey went into the race as the reigning world champion-although his times before Atlanta this year had been off his personal best. The 28-year-old runner’s home is in Oakville, Ont., but he trains in Austin, Tex. Bailey stayed in Austin until late last week, preparing for the Games with fellow sprinter Glenroy Gilbert, 27, of Ottawa, and long-jumper Rich Duncan, 22, of St. Catharines, Ont. 'Me trio flew to Atlanta on July 24, only two days before the 100-m preliminary heats. Clearly, Bailey’s training regimen paid off.
So had his decision relatively late in life to focus on sprinting. Born in Jamaica, he moved to Oakville to live with his father when he was 12, and went on to play basketball at that community’s Sheridan College. Afterward, he focused on building a small consulting business. It was not until 1991, when he was 23, that he started serious training as a runner, after attending the national track championship in Montreal and deciding he could run faster than the sprinters he saw. Up to that point, his only experience had been with his high-school track team. But Bailey did not make an international impact until after he began working with sprint specialist Dan Pfaff at the University of Texas in 1994, after they met at the world championships in Stuttgart, Germany. He helped Bailey polish his style and earn not only progressively better times and a world title, but also endorsement deals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now, his Olympic gold medal could turn that into millions.
Surin, meanwhile, was the silver medallist at last year’s world championships. At a news conference the day before the 100-m heats, Surin seemed confident, saying he had been running well in practice, although he acknowledged that he had some injuries “here and there.” Regardless, the ascendance of Surin, Bailey and the relay team has helped Canada’s sprint program emerge from the scandal that rocked the Seoul Olympics in 1988 when Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids and was forced to surrender his 100-m gold medal. That is an issue Surin addressed at his pre-race news conference. “All the time, they’re talking about drugs with athletes from track and field,” he said. “I don’t think the media treat us fairly; 1988 was a big scandal, but it’s time to put those things behind.”
Bailey downplayed a question about whether his victory erased the memory of the Ben Johnson saga. “I’m racing for myself and for my family, and for the country of course.” Then, he added: “I know it is a good thing for our sport. It definitely is going to do some good.” It also made family and friends back in Oakville very happy. Bailey promised them a big party when he gets home. As he put it: “My house. My treat.”
PHOTO (COLOR): Bailey with Boldon left, Fredericks: fastest trio