Bailey-Johnson 150-metre race

The Bailey-Johnson 150-meter race was a track and field event that occurred in Toronto, Canada on May 31, 1997. In an effort to settle the dispute regarding who was the world's fastest man, a race was organised between 1996 Olympic 100 m champion Donovan Bailey from Canada, and 1996 Olympic 200 and 400 m champion Michael Johnson, from the United States.

Background

The unofficial title of "world's fastest man" typically goes to the Olympic 100m champion.

In 1996, some pointed out that Johnson's gold-medal performance in the 200m (19.32 seconds) was faster than Bailey's 100m performance (9.84 seconds) in that 19.32 divided by two is 9.66. However, it must be noted that the 200 m time is almost always "faster" since the initial slow speed at the start is spread out over a longer distance. Also, each 200m gold medalist from 1968, when fully electronic timing was introduced, to 1996 had a "faster" time at the Olympics, save one, yet there had been no controversy over the title of "world's fastest man" previously.

In 1997, Johnson began performing television promotions in which he billed himself as "the world's fastest man." Bailey initially refused to challenge, stating that "the world's fastest man was decided in Atlanta." After verbal sparring between the pair, a made-for-TV, 150-meter race at Toronto's SkyDome (now renamed as the Rogers Centre) was scheduled.

Theoretically, human anaerobic performance precludes sprinting at "100 percent" speed beyond approximately 110 meters. The only true test of the highest velocity reached by a human being running at full speed would be to take instantaneous measurements. This would need to occur at all important 100 m and 200 m races at elite sprinting events. An officially approved radar gun would be required and would need to record a rapid series of measurements at peak areas of the two races. For the 100 m, this would be from 70m to the end; for the 200 m, peak speed is most likely to occur at around 150 meters.

The Race

The 150 m distance consisted of 75 m of curved track and a 75 m straight, a configuration that was unique to this unsanctioned event. Bailey revealed before the race his surprise at the configuration; nevertheless he opted to run anyway. The runners were positioned with Bailey running on the inside track and Johnson ahead of him on the outer track.

The race was billed as a competition for the title of "World's Fastest Man", but it failed to live up to expectations when Johnson (well behind Bailey at the time), pulled up at the 110-meter mark claiming to have injured his quadricep. Bailey easily won the race and the $1.5 million prize. Johnson himself received $500,000. After the first turn, Johnson appeared to grab his quadricep and then take a few more strides. Ultimately, he pulled up and gifted Bailey an easy victory.

Towards the end of the race, Bailey even looked back at Johnson and waved for him to "come on" believing he had simply quit the race. Bailey finished with a time of 15.00 seconds. Following the finish Johnson began to favour his foot, leading some to question the veracity of his injury.

There is video footage of Bailey during an interview shortly after where he is clearly annoyed at Johnson, saying "He didn't pull up, he's just a chicken... I think we should run this race again so I could whip his ass one more time."

Aftermath

Johnson recovered and won his third 400 m World Champion title that very year, while Bailey lost his 100 m title in an upset to Maurice Greene. Johnson has made no further claims about being "the world's fastest man".

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sryuicuQyR0 Youtube video of the race]