BAILEY TUNES OUT DELAY TO BREAK WORLD RECORD.Byline: Michael Ventre Daily News Staff Writer They took their sweet time deciding who is the fastest man alive. First a false start. Then another. Then a third, followed by an ejection. The world waited patiently. Finally, Donovan Bailey Donovan Bailey (born December 16, 1967) is a Canadian former athlete. Born in Manchester, Jamaica, Bailey emigrated from Jamaica to Canada at age 13, and played basketball before his graduation at Queen Elizabeth Park High School in Oakville, Ontario. , a Jamaican-born Canadian, rewarded the audience with a world record of 9.84 to win the Olympic gold Olympic Gold is the official video game of the XXV Olympic Summer Games, hosted by Barcelona, Spain in 1992. It was released for the Sega consoles, Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System, and Sega's handheld, Game Gear. medal Saturday night in the men's 100 meters. Frankie Fredericks Frank ("Frankie") Fredericks (born October 2, 1967) is a Namibian former athlete, the first and so far only Olympic medalist of his country. Born in Windhoek, Frankie Fredericks was awarded a scholarship at Brigham Young University in the U.S. in 1987. of Namibia won the silver with a time of 9.89, while UCLA's Ato Boldon Ato Jabari Boldon (born December 30, 1973) is a retired athlete from Trinidad and Tobago, the 1997 200 m World Champion and four-time Olympic medal winner. Only 2 other men in history, Frankie Fredericks of Namibia and Carl Lewis of the USA, have won as many Olympic individual took the bronze with a 9.90. ``I wasn't thinking world record,'' noted Donovan afterward. ``Anytime I've gone into a race thinking about times, I've always screwed up.'' This time, he didn't. But Linford Christie Linford Christie OBE (born April 2, 1960) is a former athlete, and the only English man to win Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European 100 m gold medals. He still holds the UK record. did. Twice. The race became embroiled em·broil tr.v. em·broiled, em·broil·ing, em·broils 1. To involve in argument, contention, or hostile actions: "Avoid . . . in controversy before it even began. Christie, the 36-year-old Briton and the defending gold medalist in the event, false started. They tried again. This time Boldon, representing Trinidad & Tobago, did the same. The runners took the blocks again. Christie false-started a second time, although it was not nearly as obvious as the first. That's all a runner gets before being disqualified dis·qual·i·fy tr.v. dis·qual·i·fied, dis·qual·i·fy·ing, dis·qual·i·fies 1. a. To render unqualified or unfit. b. To declare unqualified or ineligible. 2. . He was asked to leave. He refused. The running referee, John Chaplin, emerged from the tunnel at Olympic Stadium The Olympic Stadium is the name usually given to the big centrepiece stadium of the Summer Olympic Games. Traditionally, the opening and closing ceremonies and the track & field competitions are held in the Olympic Stadium. , pulled a red card out of the pocket of his green jacket, and Christie stalked off, shaking his head in disbelief. ``I asked him to leave,'' Chaplin said. ``He said, `Fine,' and left.'' Christie then came through the tunnel, picked up the plastic crate that held his warmups and departed without comment. Later, he issued a brief remark: ``I smile now, but inside I am hurt.'' Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Bailey leaped and yelled and pumped his fist. He wrapped himself in the Canadian flag. He jogged around the track and hugged family members. He shed some tears. Later he was asked about Ben Johnson Ben Johnson or Benjamin Johnson may be:
``I'm not trying to undo what Ben did in Seoul,'' noted Bailey of his fellow Canadian, referring to Johnson's disqualification for drug use after winning gold in the 100 and 200. ``My name is Donovan Bailey. What happened is history. Because it was a huge story, it's always gonna come up because I'm also Canadian and Jamaican-born.'' When the race finally went off without being blown dead, Bailey came off a decent start, then exploded in the last 30 meters, pushing past Fredericks and Boldon. When the 22-year-old Boldon came off the track, he was sobbing and being consoled by a friend. ``I got very emotional after the race,'' said the ebullient Boldon, still wearing the wrap-around sunglasses he competes with. ``I came here with a goal and I didn't quite achieve it. ``I'm well aware I'm only 22. Hopefully, I have a great career in front of me. Donovan was the best man today in the 100-meter final.'' The field was the sprint version of the Dream Team. Aside from the three medalists and Christie, the race featured American hopefuls Dennis Mitchell Dennis Allen Mitchell (born February 20, 1966) is a former American athlete, winner of gold medal in 4x100 m relay at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Born in Havelock, North Carolina, Mitchell placed fourth in 100 m at the 1988 Summer Olympics and missed a probable gold medal in and Mike Marsh. The dream quickly became nightmarish for Christie, who protested the decision immediately but had it overruled. Bailey's effort bested the previous world record of 9.85, set by Leroy Burrell two years ago in Lausanne, Switzerland. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) BAILEY |
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