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Bailey, who won two gold medals at the 1996 Olympic games and was once the world record holder in the 100 meters, has explained why he snubbed birth country Jamaica to run for Canada.
Donovan Bailey, once the fastest man on Earth and a double Olympic 100m champion, recently opened up about the pivotal decision that defined his career: choosing to represent Canada over his birthplace, Jamaica.
Bailey, who set a world record of 9.84 seconds to claim the 100m gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, revealed the behind-the-scenes struggles that influenced his choice during an appearance on Asafa Powell’s The Powells YouTube channel.
Bailey, who was born in Manchester Parish, Jamaica, moved to Canada at the age of 12. After graduating from Queen Elizabeth Park High School in Oakville, Ontario, he pursued higher education at Sheridan College, earning a degree in Business Administration.
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Initially, his athletic journey was less focused on track and field and more on basketball, which he played during his college years. It was not until 1990 that Bailey decided to train as a sprinter, inspired by watching the Canadian Track and Field Championships and recognizing many competitors he had bested in high school.
Bailey's shift to professional sprinting was unconventional; he trained part-time while working as a stockbroker. Yet, by 1994, he was making a name for himself on the global stage, ranked among the top sprinters in the world. It was during this period that Bailey considered representing Jamaica.
“I almost ran for Jamaica,” Bailey shared on the podcast. He described a turning point in 1994 when he encountered difficulties with the Jamaican Olympic Committee.
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Despite being one of the fastest sprinters globally, his bid to join the team was hindered when illness affected his performance at the Commonwealth trials in Victoria. “I got sick at the Commonwealth trials in Victoria and they did not put me on the team because I did not have international experience.”
Bailey even tried to appeal to the Jamaican officials. “I petitioned them to sign off so I could come and run for Jamaica in 1994,” he said. He envisioned joining a formidable relay team that included notable Jamaican sprinters like Michael Greene and Raymond Stewart. “I almost did,”
Bailey added, noting that his participation at events such as the Mutual Life Games marked emotional homecomings.
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Greene has slammed modern sprinters for misguided priorities despite the modern technology now in place to make them faster, which he believes have led to a lack of progression since the Usain Bolt days.
Despite his strong ties to Jamaica, Bailey ultimately committed to Canada—a decision influenced by two significant factors.
“Two things: I think I learnt to run in Jamaica but I actually learnt how speed works and how technical it was when I went to train with Dan at LSU,” Bailey explained. This training in the U.S. introduced him to a deeper understanding of sprinting mechanics. “I understood how the body works. I understood shin angles, vertebrae, and all the biomechanics. Of course, I learnt how to run in Jamaica but then technically, I am working out the nuances of how it is to run on a straight line.”
Bailey’s choice was rooted in a combination of circumstances: his experience with the Jamaican community, his move to Canada during his formative years, and the advanced training that shaped his technical prowess as a sprinter.
These factors not only defined his allegiance but also set him on a path to becoming a global track and field icon. His induction into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame underscores the legacy that stemmed from this pivotal decision.
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