Doping reports have always plagued the sprinting world. There are only a few, in fact just two, ‘clean’ sprinters with Olympic or World Championship titles — Donovan Bailey and Usain Bolt — since 1984.
The doping menace has not only tarnished the sport but also broken the trust of fans. However, sportsmen like Bailey are the reason that people still have some belief in the athletes and the sport.
Bailey’s world record run at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, which won him the 100m gold, helped him restore the image of Canadian athletes after the Ben Johnson fiasco. Johnson was stripped off his Olympic and World Championship titles after being found guilty of doping.
The former Olympic medalist (though he doesn’t like to be called former), feels that he was lucky to have the right people around him who helped him leave a legacy worth emulating.
“Maybe it was a blessing for me that Ben Johnson came before me and did wrong things. It (keeping a clean image) was also very important for my personal legacy. I understood what my responsibility was towards youngsters. I was lucky that I had wonderful people around me. I had an amazing coach, a good physiotherapist, a good nutritionist and great training partners,” Bailey said on Friday.
He stressed that winning wasn’t his goal. “It really wasn’t about just winning for me. I am an extremely competitive person,” he added.
Apart from the 100 m title, Bailey also helped his country’s relay team won gold in the 4x100 m category, bagged two gold medals in 1996 (100m and 4x100m) and also held the world record (9.84 seconds) for 100m at that time. He also has three World Championships titles and one Commonwealth Games gold.
Bailey, who was born in Manchester, Jamaica, but later migrated to Canada, is a big fan of Usain Bolt, a great Jamaican sprinter. He feels that Bolt is the most ‘improved’ athlete and can run faster than his world record of 9.58 seconds.
“Bolt is someone I meet often, talk to and give advise to. He is a good kid, he is fast and the best. You have to understand that he is 6’6”. Bolt is probably the most improved guy in the 100 years that is possible. His starting can be better, technically he can be better, his endurance can be a little better, his speed work could be better and his stance. So yes, I have no doubt that with proper nutrition and training, if he has solid first 30m and with his height, I think he is very capable of doing that,” Bailey, who is the brand ambassador of the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, said.