www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday July 26, 2006 - 3 July 27, 1996 was a good day for Bailey Continued from page 1 like it happened yesterday. He lined up between Frankie Fredericks, who had registered the fastest time of the year up until that point, and Trinidad and Tobago's Ato Boldon. "I had a bad start, I had a terrible start," he remembers. "I just thought, `Okay, I have to be composed.' I had competed against the other guys in the field. I knew what their weak spot was as well as what my strong spot was." Bailey's strength: the middle 40m stretch. "You don't look at your opponents, but you can feel them," he said. "I felt Frankie and Ato Boldon. Technically, Frankie is probably one of the most sound sprinters that ever lived. I knew that Ato Boldon always gets really good starts. At about the 20m mark, if Ato Boldon is close to me, I know I'm going to have a good day." July 27, 1996, was a good day. At the 40m mark, with Boldon in sight, Bailey turned it on and blew by his competitors, breaking the previous world record time of 9.85s held by American, Leroy Burrell. It's a moment CBC's Ron MacLean remembers well. "The run that night in Atlanta, to run a 9.84 and establish a world record. It was truly one of the greatest moments," said the Oakville resident. "I would equate it probably to be one of the top 10 all-time moments in Canadian sports history, right up there with Paul Henderson's goal (in the 1972 series) and Mario (Lemieux)'s goal in '87 (in the Canada Cup). MacLean called Bailey's victory in Atlanta "a sure thing. There was no doubt in my mind he was going to win." Bailey felt the same. "I felt two emotions after the 100m win," he A WINNER: Familiar photo of Donovan Bailey upon winning gold that appeared on the front of a special Oakville Beaver publication. said. "I was thinking, job well done, I won. But I was also thinking, best to come." The first words Bailey heard from coach Dan Pfaff weren't exactly what you'd expect. "He was telling me how terrible of a race that I ran," he said. At the time, Bailey didn't see exactly how sig- nificant the win was. "You kind of look at what it's done for track and field in Canada," he said. "The fact that people in the world started talking about Canadians and how graceful they are and how fast they are. In reflecting, completely changing how it is that Canada is viewed on the track around the world is something that I'm quite happy and humbled about." But how, exactly, did he do it? "How'd I get so fast?" he said, laughing, "I have to thank my parents for good genetics. That's the first thing, and then for actually instilling some good work ethic in me." Bailey also credits Pfaff, "the best coach in the world." It wasn't until 1990, when Bailey was watching the Canadian Track and Field Championships on TV and saw athletes he'd competed against and beaten in high school, that he decided to get serious about the sport. He became a member of the Canadian national team in 1991, but didn't commit fulltime to sprinting until 1994. A year later, he was World Champion. The year after that, Olympic Champion not just one, but two-time champ. Atlanta was also the site of the Canadian 4X100m relay gold medal performance of Robert Esmie, Glenroy Gilbert, Bruny Surin and Bailey, the team's anchor. "The relay was pretty special to me, because I pushed the guys so much. I wanted them to taste victory," said Bailey. "It was very special because I got to share it with four guys, and of course, Canada gets to celebrate again an historic win in that we're the only team in Olympic history to beat the Americans in that event." A five-time World and Olympic Champion, LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER LOOKING BACK: Donovan Bailey is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his gold medal finish in the 100m and 4X100m relay at the 1996 Olympics, and operates CORE Fitness in Oakville. Bailey, who retired from track and field in 2001 and now splits his time between charity work, fundraising for Canadian amateur athletes through the Donovan Bailey Fund and running See Anniversary page 8 FINANCING 2006 PONTIAC G6 *NEW 2006 PONTIAC G5 PURSUIT *NEW 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT *NEW 4 cyl. 167 H.P. autostart on remote keyless, heated seats, p. mirrors, cruise, auto trans, alloy wheels, premium upgraded sound, spoiler, p.windows/locks and more. 0% Financing 48 Months $ 299 /MTH LSE $0 Downpayment Air cond, auto trans, 4 cyl. 145 H.P. rear spoiler, AM/FM CD, halogen headlamps, cabin air filtration system, 2 auxilary power outlets. 0% Financing 48 Months $ /MTH LSE $0 Downpayment 240 V6, 7 speaker premium sound w/in-dash 6 disc CD, heated leather seats, p. moonroof, 17" alloys, cruise, tint, p.w. locks and much more 19 to choose. 0% Financing 60 Months $ /MTH LSE $0 Downpayment 399 2006 BUICK RENDEZVOUS *NEW 2006 GMC SIERRA SLT EXT CAB *NEW HYBRID ELECTRIC 2006 CADILLAC CTS *NEW V6, 5 pass. seating, leather wrapped steering wheel w/radio controls, 17" wheels, power everything. Come see Buick Luxury!! 0% Financing 48 Months $ 387 /MTH LSE $0 Downpayment Heated leather bucket seats, 8 way power and lumbar, dual tone, V8 gas/hybrid elect, skid plates, 6 disc CD changer, fender flares, tow pkg, foglamps, power everything. 0% Financing 48 Months $ 465 /MTH LSE $0 Downpayment V6, heated leatherette frt seats, AM/FM CD, Power everything, lumbar support, 6 spd. manual, 4 yr. 80,000km warranty plus all maintenance NO CHARGE!! Financing 48 Months 0% $ /MTH LSE $0 Downpayment 422 DEMO BLOWOUT 22 www.kerroakville.com 2006 DEMOS AT OR BELOW DEALER INVOICE Burlington u KERR ERR Dorval Dr. al Wyecroft Rd. f *Leases based on 48 months except for Sierra only 36. Due on delivery is 1st month, freight, A/C tax, gas tax, admin., protection plus, licence and applicable taxes. OAC. Vehicles may not be exactly as they appear. T Trafalgar Road Fourth Line 410 South Service Rd. W., Oakville · 1.866.809.9013 Kerr St. QEW Mis Mississauga s ss S. rvice R Se Kerr St. d.