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News09 Aug 1999


Frustrated Bailey says he will put it together before end of season

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9 August 1999 – Cologne (AP) - Donovan Bailey knows exactly where to put 1999 in the scheme of things.

"I have it on my calendar,'' said the 100 metres Olympic champion. "It says 'bad year - will get butt kicked a lot'.''

Bailey, struggling back from an Achilles' tendon rupture, proved Saturday that he's right by finishing dead last behind Maurice Greene while running in a prestigious field in London.

On Sunday, the Canadian managed a third in Cologne, but with a time of 10.30 seconds - that's planets away from his world record broken by Greene of 9.84, set when he blazed to Olympic gold in Atlanta.

After his slow time at Cologne, a tight-lipped Bailey brushed off reporters trackside.

"I was frustrated, I am frustrated - It's like having a car and it only has two wheels on it,'' a relaxed Bailey said later from his hotel restaurant.

But Bailey says his body is not the problem after he underwent surgery last September for the rupture of his left Achilles' tendon during a pickup basketball game. Some experts thought the injury would spell a career end. Bailey says the problem is his mind.

"I run 10.0,'' Bailey said of practice. ``It just hasn't been recorded legally in a race. I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself because I'm trying to run and think at the same time.''

Bailey has slowly dropped his times since his comeback kicked off June 13th at a race in Nuremberg, Germany, a race that still embarrasses him since he was bounced in a preliminary heat after struggling across the line in 10.51. Following that came last-place finishes of 10.43 and 10.36 and finally Sunday's 10.30 in Cologne. But the Canadian's confidence remains unbroken.

"The 10.30, it means nothing. That's just a step to the great things I'm going to do,'' Bailey said. ``I promise, I'll put one race together before the end of the season.''

Greene stripped him of his world record earlier this year by running 9.79 in Athens, Greece. But Bailey believes he can still go faster than his old mark of 9.84 from the Olympics.

"Because I have the best top speed in the world,'' he said, "and I made huge huge mistakes during that race. I only had 40 good yards during that race.''

Donovan still doesn't know if he will run his speciality at the World Championships in Seville, Spain, later this month, although he will compete on Canada's 4x100 metre relay team.

"I like the underdog role,'' he said. "I'll just show up one day and they'll all say, who? We forgot about you.''

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