Sports

During the year 1990, while Donovan was watching the Candian Track and Field Chmpionships he noticed some of the athletes on the National Team were people he had raced in high school and he had beaten also without any training. On a part-time basis Donovan started competing in 100-meter sprints. Just like that he became a member of Canada’s National Team.

In 1993, Don Pfaff, legendary track coach saw Donovan Bailey at the World Championships for the first time ever. He easily noticed the Donovan had alot of bad habits both physically and mentally. Pfaff asked Donovan if he would like to train with him at Louisiana State University and he accepted his offer.

In 1995, Donovan won the World Championships In Gothenburg, winning the 100-meter sprint and the 4 x 100 meter relay titles. After the event Donovan Bailey clearly stated that he would be at the Oylmpics in Atlanta next uear, and not going for silver. He later then said something else before looming into the Olympic Games after he had broke the indoor 50-meter world recored in Rene, Nevada, placing a time of 5.56 seconds. On the way to the 1998 Atlanta Summer Olympics, Donovan was holding the hope of the entire country. Eight years earlier Canada was embarrassed by sprinter Ben Johnson’s 100 meter win and subsequent disqualification.

On July 27, 1996 at the Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia Donovan broke Olympic and World Records with a phenomenal time of 9.84 seconds winning the gold medal. He also won the 4 x 100 meter relay race winning gold placing a time of 37.69 with his teammates Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, and Bruny Surin. He was happier winning the gold with his team more then when he won the gold himself. No doubt now that Donovan Bailey was the Fastest Man in the World. Donovan placed another amazing performance at the World Championships in Athens placing second in the 100-meter sprint and winning the 4 x 100 meter relay championship.

Michael Johnson started making televison promotions about himself saying the he was ” The World’s Fastest Man.” Johnson had asked Donovan to race but he declined the offer and announced that ” The World’s Fastest Man was decided in Atlanta. ” After they had talked trash all over public media they had decided to have a 150-meter showdown in Toronto, Ontario. This would decide who was actually ” The World’s Fastest Man. “

This 150-meter track would contain 75 meters of it curved and 75 meters if it going directly straight. This was an unique track and this event was official. With 60,000 people in the Sky Dome both Michael Johnson bursted out of the gates and the race began. While Donovan was passing Johnson he noticed that Johnson had pulled out of the race and stated that he had an injured quadriceps. Donovan completed the race easily and won the race. He recieved a prize, a prize of $1.5 million. This had been the highest rated athletic showdown ever televised. It had been said, Track and Field News annouced that Donovan was the ” Sprinter of the Decade ” in the year 1998.

Later during that year Donovan experienced a potentially career-ending injury, disuniting his Achilles tendon. He attempted to locomote to the podium at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Austrailia, but during qualification he contracted pneumonia. In the year 2001 at the World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, Donovan retired from competitive track and field to a standing prolonged. Donovan is an inspirational speaker to everyone, children and adults.

He is a champion, a Canadian Champion, Pan-Am Games Champion, Commonwealth Games Champion, Goodwill Games Champion, Olympic Champion, and a 5-time World Champion. Now, to this day, Donovan holds the 50-meter World Record, also Commonwealth, Candian, and Olympic Records in the 100-meter sprint.

He founed the Donovan Bailey Fund, for Canada’s most talented amateur athletes in 2002. This day, Donovan is a very budy,corporate, and charitable man who has 2 loving children.