The Electronic Telegraph Sunday 27 May 2001 Will Rouse WHEN DONOVAN Bailey looks back on his career, his two gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics will not be his most cherished memory - it will be the mere act of walking again. The 33-year-old Canadian, a former world-record holder and Olympic 100 metres champion, has said he will retire following the 2001 outdoor season. The announcement comes nearly three years after a career-threatening Achilles' tendon injury that required surgery. "That will be the No 1 thing that stands out because I wasn't even able to walk," Bailey told The Canadian Press from Frankfurt, Germany, on Friday. "But having great people around me got me back to the point that I was the top-ranked Canadian last year and one of the fastest men in the world, although I had an erratic season." Bailey will compete in meetings in Germany and the Czech Republic in the next two weeks. He said: "My goals are probably just to give back, just be close to the people who were cheering me on when I started, especially here in Germany. I started here in 1994 and some of these same people are still here with photos of when I started." However, he is emphatic that his final race will be in Canada, either at the Canadian championships from June 22-24 or the World Championships from Aug 3-12. Both events will be in Edmonton, Alberta. "I haven't decided which yet. If I'm running well, it will certainly be at the worlds but I'm nursing a slight bone spur now on my right heel." Bailey was at his peak at the Atlanta Olympics. He not only set a record of 9.84sec in winning the 100m but earned another gold medal a week later when he ran the anchor leg in the 4x100m relay. His record in the 100m has since been broken twice by Maurice Greene, most recently at 9.79 in 1999 but Bailey was not a factor at the Sydney Olympics. "I've had some amazing fans over the years," Bailey said. "Sometimes the media hasn't respected me in the way that they should, but the fans in Canad a have been amazing throughout my career, so I think it's right my last race should be there." Eamonn Condon RunnersGoal.com
