Donovan Bailey | 66
History of the 90s
Kathy Kenzora
4.7 • 610 Ratings
🗓️ 23 March 2022
⏱️ 72 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In 1996 Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey won gold at the Atlanta Olympics, breaking the world record in the 100 metre event. The achievement helped Canada climb out from behind the shame of the Ben Johnson steroid scandal following the 1988 Olympics. It also meant that Bailey was the fastest man in the world. To everyone, it would seem, except one nation. On this episode of History of the 90s, host Kathy Kenzora talks with Donovan Bailey about his Olympic achievement as well his fastest man showdown against Michael Johnson a year later.
Guest info:
The Podcast - Hosted by Donovan Bailey & Jason Portuondo Donovan Bailey’s podcast Running Things With Donovan Bailey is on Acast (acast.com) and can be heard anywhere you stream audio.
Twitter: @donovanbailey
Website: www.donovanbailey.com
Contact:
Instagram: @that90spodcast
Email: 90s@curiouscast.ca
Newsletter: History of the 90s | Substack
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey there, it's Kathy. I just wanted to let you know that you can listen to History of the 90s |
| 0:04.7 | early and ad-free on Amazon music included with Prime. |
| 0:10.2 | Many Canadians of a certain vintage remember exactly where they were when sprinter Ben Johnson |
| 0:16.1 | shattered the 100-meter world record at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, becoming, for a short time, a Canadian hero. |
| 0:24.8 | I was camping and listened on a radio. The entire campground erupted in cheers when Johnson |
| 0:31.6 | clocked a miraculous time of 9.79 seconds. 20-year-old Donovan Bailey was at an Ontario bar watching the race on TV. |
| 0:42.0 | The bartender passed around free drinks after Johnson won gold, and Bailey joined the celebration. |
| 0:47.8 | It was an amazing accomplishment, but it would soon turn into a national embarrassment. |
| 0:54.6 | After the Olympic victory, Ben Johnson tested positive for muscle-building anabolic steroids and was |
| 1:00.8 | stripped of his medal. The record-breaking time was erased from the books. |
| 1:05.7 | It was devastating for Canada and for the sport of track and field. |
| 1:10.0 | In the years that followed, young sprinters like Donovan Bailey |
| 1:13.0 | trained and competed in the shadow of the steroid scandal. |
| 1:17.4 | Spectators and sponsors turned away from the sport in droves. |
| 1:21.7 | But Bailey never gave up. |
| 1:23.6 | He was on his own journey to become the fastest man in the world. |
| 1:28.1 | I'm Kathy Kinsora, and this is History of the 90s, a podcast about a decade that changed the world. |
| 1:35.2 | On this episode, I'm joined by the legend himself, Donovan Bailey. |
| 1:49.3 | Donovan Bailey was born in Manchester, Jamaica, in 1967. |
| 1:54.2 | His family moved to Oakville, Ontario, just outside of Toronto, when he was 12. |
| 1:59.8 | In a recent interview, he told me that track and field found him at an early age. |
| 2:06.4 | I mean, sports was something that I did, and I think that it was quickly found out that I was fast. So as a four-year-old, a five-year-old, I was probably faster than the regular |
... |
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