Even a $1 million race couldn’t end the Michael Johnson and Donovan Bailey beef

In the mid 90’s Michael Johnson and Donovan Bailey were the stars of track and field. American Michael Johnson dominated the 200 and 400, while Candian Donovan Bailey was king of the 100.
They both broke world records, collected gold medals, and were known as The World’s Fastest Man.
The World’s Fastest Man. Singular.
So… that couldn’t last. But it could, create a petty, nationalistic beef, that spilled into the press and gave birth to something rarely seen in track and field: A 150 meter race on a specialty made track that was 75 meters curve, 75 meters straightaway, with a million dollar prize on the line. In other words, a race to determine who really was The World’s Fastest Man.
Written and produced by Clara Morris
Directed and edited by Ryan Simmons
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[@GreenBayPayton]

And then Usain Bolt comes along, earns gold in the 100m & 200m at 3 straight Olympics while setting Olympic records for both, and is now undisputedly the World's Fastest Man

[@uncrownedking3272]

Yep, no sicko is starting an argument with this lol.

[@swavyypressure9417]

Who would say “Oh Michael and Bailey are way better than Usain!” LMAAOOO

[@josephpalmer831]

Someone beat bolts record this yeat

[@Creole164]

Michael did a great documentary on Usain.

[@danieltiller9261]

@@josephpalmer831 what record? 9.58? 😂

[@noahfox3992]

"he's a chicken. He didn't pull up at all-he's just a chicken. He's afraid to lose. I think what he should do, we should run this race over again, so I can kick his ass one more time." Idk why they left the most savage part of the quote out 🤷🏻‍♂️ but here it is^ (imo)

[@ccwhu]

🇨🇦🍁🇨🇦

[@newtoncountry5937]

@G-man Canadians are afraid of the dark

[@CSDonohue11]

G-man Wrong Sir. I loved that he did that. Soldier. Michael Johnson was dope too but I remember all of this pretty well it was fun. The Gold shoes in The Olympics were so lit though.

[@independentRestorationServices]

Bailey is Canadian, this was the equivalent of talking trash about Johnson's mom and calling Johnson a m'fer on TV. I think they're allowing him to keep his Canadian image Canadian.

[@pgawhite]

Yeah, they failed on this one pretty badly. The other part they failed to mention is that Jamaicans (Bailey) and Trinidadians (Boldon) have longstanding beef within the Caribbean (think Argentina vs. Brazil), so Boldon trolling Bailey is almost to be expected.

[@Crackalackattacka]

LMAO...he quit. Saw Bailey was ahead before the turn, knew there was NO way he'd reel him in, and he bailed. I remember watching it live, and many people in the crown thought MJ would fake an injury if he fell behind. Then he did. Donovan nailed the call.

[@cadenbrown8985]

But then he missed half of the next season so I think it’s harder to call then that

[@stradeski4748]

@@cadenbrown8985 he knew what he was doing if faking an injury for 6 months was his bail out he was going to do it

[@shwin.]

@@cadenbrown8985 You want him to fake the injury and then come back for the next season like nothing happened? The guy was a great actor, he followed through on his bullshit.

[@mrglass3617]

That race was over before he pulled up. Real of fake (it was complete bullshit) Bailey was still ahead and he's not going to be caught on the straightaway.

[@karnige5804]

@@cadenbrown8985 missing 6 months is nothing in track

[@giantking6744]

I'm from the U.S. and im saying Donovon was clearly faster.U can't be biased and you can't hate,congratulate.

[@danlorett2184]

Interesting that it's fine for Donovon (who was #1 in 100m for all of two years) to claim Johnson has to run the 100 against him, but Donovon wouldn't run the 200m against Johnson. Donovon was definitely better in the 100m but Johnson was basically the proto-Usain Bolt of the 200/400. He dominated the 200/400 for about a decade.

[@majorgamefreak007]

@@danlorett2184 they met in the middle ground for a 150m race but Johnson "pulled up" jackass

[@danwarb1]

@@danlorett2184 100m requires a higher top speed, thus Donovan was the fastest man. Or is Kipchoge faster because they're not beating him in a marathon (or a half marathon)?

[@Bruhaha9]

@@danlorett2184 the point is that the 100 is the race that determines fastest man in the world, so Johnson would have to have run that race for anyone to make that claim of him.

[@dragonzodiac78]

👍🏽🇨🇦👍🏽

[@cvalentine5851]

“C’mon, that’s a lot of money. This isn’t the NBA.” Poor runners need to get some kind of league going. The National Running Association just never took off after the first NRA event. A lot of confused gun enthusiasts shot at the sprinting racers out of excited habit. Tragic.

[@Kai-mq6mw]

Why not NRL?

[@cvalentine5851]

Kai Zafra Good point, rugby players have less collateral damage.

[@September2004]

‘confused gun enthusiasts’ That was perfect wording!

[@cvalentine5851]

Aljubrielle Mcdonald National Outdoor Sprinters’ League? I prefer the Network Of Sprinting Experts. Hits right on the nose.

[@cvalentine5851]

September2004 They were just unprepared to watch people running, that predator instinct really kicks in when holding a new AR-15.

[@busterchops]

To be fair, it was pretty much always stated that the "World's Fastest Man" was the winner of the 100m. After Johnson ran the 200m in strong record time, the United Stated media began asking whether that should be the case since since Michael Johnson's /100m time was fsater than Bailey's 100m time. So, suddenly the "rules" were changed to promote the US athlete as the "fastest". Among almost all of Track and Field's fans and members, the 100m winner was still considered the fastest man.

[@Dynamics416]

Pretty much. Well said. Exactly what happened.

[@jakemanusky3114]

You bring up a good point but I think you're not giving Michael Johnson enough credit. While they both broke records, Johnson was the Usain Bolt of that time period. I'm more or less talking about fame rather than "fastest man alive". Not only did scorch the previous 200m record but he won gold in both the 200m and 400m. He accomplished something that sent shockwaves not only though the track & field community, but the rest of the world. You wanna know why no one argues if anyone is faster than the 100m champ like they did Bailey? It's because no one did what Michael Johnson accomplished. It was such a rare feat in sports that people began to speculate if he could beat the current 100m champion. Not because a countries jingoism or bias. If that were true, they would do it with every athlete.

[@seancosgrove1]

People also claimed that the winner of the decathlon was the world's best athlete. People say silly things sometimes

[@jakemanusky3114]

@@seancosgrove1 How is that silly?

[@nemanjaradovanovic8033]

Americans using media to promote, help and change rules for american athletes? Maaaan you trippin more than m Johnson 😂

[@duaneswaby622]

"They were both known as the world's fastest man." Nope. Nobody calls the 200m champ the world's fastest man. Donovan was always the one!

[@miguwa1]

Thank you

[@dereckdean578]

From time immemorial it has been that way ....the 100 meter champion is considered the worlds fastest athlete.

[@nallis01]

Facts!

[@mellowmonsoon278]

Of course, only one country had a problem with it. Even they knew it in their conscience

[@hempie1282]

Idk.. I mean.. what if they have to run 400m?? Then who is the world's fastest man

[@mruv5944]

The fact that Bailey isn’t as well known as Johnson is screwed up. Classic USA v anyone else storylines

[@Tyspeed0528]

I mean he had better feats than Bailey. Bailey record stood for 2 years after that you become irrelevant. Johnson ran the 200 and 400 and dominated BOTH. Dude literally was the face of track. He deserves the recognition he gets. Dude was ahead of his time to run a damn 19.32 and a low 43

[@afrobuddy4801]

Johnson is probably the 2nd greatest sprinter of all time after bolt so it is not surprising at all

[@Entername-md1ev]

Bailey is an icon here in 🇨🇦

[@danlorett2184]

It's not really surprising. Bailey's no slouch at all but his feats didn't match up to Johnson's at the time and definitely didn't stand up well going into the future. Johnson is considered easily top 3 sprinters of all time. Bailey was on top in the 100m for about 2 years and set a record that didn't last long either. Johnson was basically the king of 200/400 for about a decade.

[@sweetjamaica6766]

And?????🙄

[@Gamer-lm3lv]

Michael Johnson: Im the fastest Donovan Bailey: Nah Im the fastest Usain Bolt: Ima bout to ruin these men's career

[@Leo.Labine]

To be fair, Bolt came way later. But yeah, probably wouldnt even ne a competition

[@charismatic9904]

Usain is on ALOT of roids bro

[@jrbrennan8246]

Well....96 Olympics were in Atlanta.

[@nemanjaradovanovic8033]

@@charismatic9904 bruuhh 😂 literally every single champion was and is on roids!!! Especially americans! The difference is only russians get busted because of politics smh

[@trevorlambert4226]

How does someone ruin your career after you already retired?

[@brendanrundle304]

"we should run this race over again, so I can kick his ass one more time" was one of the greatest reaction interview lines ever and they left it out

[@SeisanStnc]

If you think Bailey was the fastest of all time, fine (even though he got stomped by Maurice and might have lost this race). He still acted like a classless a$$. Lamont Jacobs just pulled out of the World Championships, while Fred Kerley is on a tear. Do you see Kerley calling Jacobs names, insulting him, and making uninformed claims? No, you don't. That is the exclusive domain of teams from Canada and Jamaica. Both are an embarrassment to sports in general. The only thing worse is the fans who praise such ignorance.

[@Bokuzen035]

@@SeisanStnc Cry me a river

[@123mathtutorabc4]

@@SeisanStnc you just a bitter jingoist

[@realAndresilver]

​@@SeisanStncJohnson was a coward Simple as that

[@anthonyanderson9303]

​@@SeisanStnccmon now this was highly entertaining it was like pro Wrestling

[@jasonnorem7508]

Thanks Usain Bolt for putting an end to all this bullshit.

[@e2go]

Yeah, who would actually want fun rivalries like this that drew tons of eyeballs to the sport. Such "bullshit".

[@jasonjon88]

@@e2go Don’t take it too seriously my man.

[@JaemeelRobinson]

The beef was touchy for Canadians as Ben Johnson was dragged through the mud internationally for doping. Ben's fault wasn't that he was doping, it was he got caught and Canada didn't cover it up like US did for Carl Lewis. The whole Canadian track program had egg on its face while the USOC acted morally superior.

[@thatcanadianguy6966]

True

[@nellydavis7645]

Exactly

[@raimarulightning]

This!! People really need to understand the bigger context of frustration with the US in Canada.

[@brenwalsh9232]

Nonnsense. Johnson was caught and guilty using fooking anabolic steroids. Lewis never failed any dope test for PEDs. There were minuscule amounts of stimulants found, that were not illegal (to the degree of a ban/fail). There was NO coverup. USOC investigated and the result was no ban or case to answer. Lewis was legally cleared. Just because the public weren’t aware the investigation and conclusion doesn’t mean there was a coverup.

[@RM-vj6xc]

Beef: Canada and Russia in the sport of hockey

[@spencerhaslam7286]

They should do a rewind for that

[@beckobert]

Plus the giant brawl at the world Juniors, where they switched off the lights on the arena to stop the players from fighting

[@weaselwag]

punch up in piesteny deep dive would be SIIIICK

[@Schizukai]

Rewind of either the Summit Series or 2010 Olympic Final needs to happen.

[@Mastaace]

@@Schizukai WHY NOT BOTH!?!?

[@adandemobilegamer]

Donovan Bailey "he's a chicken he didn't pull up" lmao I remember that race so well

[@cHiLLaZ28]

same here broski. evrybody watched on channel 30 (T.Dot)

[@selfishstockton6123]

Tdot Yardman take care of y’all chicken

[@alphaecka1949]

not famous81 john d on dope ass was fake ing

[@dennisrobinson8008]

I thought it was fake too. Michael should've just kept what he was doing because he's going to be stronger after 100M, but he lost confidence and faked a hamstring pull.

[@pastorgainz7230]

Donovan Bailey left Michael Johnson in the dust regardless he was beating him and there was no way he'd make a comeback 🇨🇦

[@123Redaxe]

I have always admired MJ. I think it’s a real shame that the US media as usual tried to overhype one of it’s stars rather than respect Bailey.

[@one0onelion248]

I remember this so vividly. In Canada, this was a huge deal and I remember basically all of Canada stopped everything to watch this race, it meant a lot to us.

[@chiefkeith18]

A track event brought Canada to a stop. How sad.

[@one0onelion248]

@@chiefkeith18 you elected Trump, a reality TV star, as president. You really have no room to talk.

[@restreven4455]

@@one0onelion248 nice! Americans not even educated enough to have a comeback for that: The Fords. I’m just playing 😂

[@one0onelion248]

@@restreven4455 Ford isn't prime Minister lol

[@restreven4455]

@@one0onelion248 yeah but they’re comparable to Trump. One was an idiot and a cocaine addict and made Toronto famous worldwide and the other just cried recently on tv out of sheer incompetence. They’re the closest we’ve got to Trump in terms of dumbasses.

[@12packersfan]

How about AB beef vs literally everyone who has ever existed

[@JWex-jy7sk]

They usually make these 12-15 minutes long. They don’t have the time to make a 12-15 hour episode for that one?

[@franklingonzalez1003]

ABs not done yet so that video won't be made until someone steals his spotlight or something more important comes along. Stay tuned.

[@matthewshortle5274]

They did one with Big Ben

[@thedistantprinceinyouremai6345]

It seems more like AB vs CTE honestly

[@netsch20]

Gotta wait a while still, he's still popping up, most recently with whatever the hell the bag of gummy dicks situation was.

[@trajancanada]

"The fastest man in the world" was always the moniker for the 100 metre champion. But, when the Canadian Bailey won in 1996, breaking the world record, the American press then started calling Johnson "the fastest man in the world". Because he was American, and won the 200 metre. Bailey called them out, and he was right. I thought that the spectacle 150 metre race in Toronto was silly, but Bailey was clearly beating Johnson when the latter pulled up with an "injury". Both great athletes, but Bailey was the fastest man in the world at that time.

[@Eherman23]

"Well you know Michael if you wanna be the fastest man in the world, run the hundred meters"... anyone with a sense of logic and some track and field knowledge knows this sentence kills the beef. hes 100% right

[@Crackalackattacka]

What about Andre Degrees then? Olympic 200m Champ, and just won the 100m in Oregon last week. I'd say HE is the worlds fastest man, right now.

[@Crackalackattacka]

@Jackson Five Uh, no. He is the OLYMPIC 200m champ...so not "a", but "the"...and he just blazed a super fast 100m at Diamond League as the fastest man in the world on that day. there is no question he is one of the fastest men in the world, on any given day. Just like the other two. Autocorrect t on the spelling doofus.

[@Crackalackattacka]

@Jackson Five Asswipe? Ok Jackass 5. He is the Olympic Champ in the 200m. He also won the bronze medal at the Olympics at the 100m. The times doesn't matter, unless you are comparing to Bolts all time WR?? The win is the thing doofus. Andre then won the 100m (prefontaine) in a wind aided 9.74, beating the Olympic silver medalist in the process. You know nothing. Try comparing apples, to apples, fruitcake.

[@Crackalackattacka]

@Jackson Five Yer also wrong about the being fast on one day thing too. Thats what it's ALL about turtle boy. Who is the fastest, ON RACE DAY. Next.

[@mohsenahmad2171]

SB NATION Thank you for showcasing a Canadian icon. Sincerely a man who giggles with joy when ever a new Beef History and Rewind come on to my feed.

[@prashizzle]

You guys should showcase the Raptors as well !

[@bikrambal791]

P K Bandwagon!!!!!

[@prashizzle]

@@bikrambal791 lived in Toronto my whole life dude.

[@matthewbergeron1261]

Donovan Bailey is that you for real

[@angelito4976]

newclubgirls.life/7_OzsGO7OdEd

[@tompkinssquaretrackclub]

Thanks for the pre-Olympics reminder that Bob Costas knows nothing!

[@jordangate7742]

Americans lose, "race is unofficial."

[@Hero-3]

Lol. That’s funny

[@BassEcho3s]

Sono Luminescence how tf is this racism they’re both black lol it’s a nationality thing not a race thing

[@BassEcho3s]

@Sono Luminescence what does that have to do with the video or the comment you replied to

[@USandGlobal]

Canadians lose, "but were just Canadian", 😂😂

[@Domepeezy]

The aged very well

[@ghenckel]

I'm an American, and my wife is Canadian, and we both run - so we LOVED this event! LOL! And, Johnson totally faked the injury, that was immediately clear when you watched the event live. Donovan Bailey was the Worlds Fastest Man in this era. Great video, with great balanced perspective of both sides! Thx. This was a fun story way back in 1997, and highly unusual!

[@SeisanStnc]

Johnson still has that injury. It is visible on his CT scan.

[@waluigithemaster6864]

6:56 "Sorry Michael J." Canadians are polite even when they're being rude lol

[@FramrodLiggins]

Must be all those years of servitude under the British. You learn how to fake politeness... really well.

[@stupidas9466]

FramrodLiggins Thanks!

[@Monsterup-ye8cr]

He is Jamaican

[@TheGlyde18]

Track beef, a rare but tasty version.

[@jordangate7742]

I love the "Bob Costas is an idiot" part. So true!

[@PreacherLawson]

this was great 🙏🏾

[@DYLANAWESOME119]

Yes

[@graysonbloes7403]

U are cool

[@tdjkhazard4522]

Oh my gosh I’m a huge fan of your performances ‼️

[@Mrgiftedsoul]

Peed all in the shower yellow down the drain !!!

[@crystalm4324]

I remember these years. Obviously, I know who was the fastest man all along 😜🇨🇦🤣. Congratulations on your success Preacher. It is well earned.

[@ItsTheMunz]

Johnson should’ve had every advantage in a 150m race. Bailey showed who the fastest man was, no questions asked.

[@abaofifsz]

Not really. Not if you begin to accelerate late in the 200 and have a crazy kick

[@cim888]

Agreed, especially with the curve

[@nsxperformance]

The curve was too short for Johnson to ever win this race. If it was a 100/50 he’d do better. His style was suited to a longer curve. But he agreed to race and so we have the result we have

[@cim888]

@@nsxperformance Any curve would suit Johnson, Bailey never had to train/contend with curves. Heck even 4x100 Bailey ran the straight.

[@nsxperformance]

cim888 You must not have seen Bailey run or ever known of his training. He was more than equipped to run bends at high speeds. This guy ran 1st leg on Canadian relay team a few times aswell as anchor

[@biglou6526]

The leader of the Four Horsemen got 2 votes, but a Horse got 7. Get dunked Ric Flair.

[@donnydarkoh6411]

As someone who used to love racing as a kid and in middleschool...a guy pulling on his hamstring is the oldest trick in the book. Johnson is a legend but come on lmao.

[@DonLee1980]

If you Michael Johnson was so interested as being the fastest man in the world, he should have been like Bolt, taking both 100m and 200m titles. Let's be honest, if he thought he could win gold for the 100m, he would have done it.

[@tmrevenge]

I used to sprain muscles and all kind of crap when my brother was winning in a race

[@rogerc23]

Lol. 😁😂👍

[@Adendum82]

I never got hurt bad enough to take me out of a competition. I only ever got "injured" when my younger cousin would be winning...or I'd find a way to change the rules to make his win irrelevant, forcing a do-over that I made sure to win 🤣 Strangely enough, this was in the 80s and early 90s pre-Donovan/Johnson Beef. And I'm Canadian... Johnson faked 100%

[@tmrevenge]

@@Adendum82 you and I had the same kind of injuries XD "sadly your win didn't count" kind of injuries. I was also born on the 80`s maybe it's a condition for us XD

[@Adendum82]

@@tmrevenge I blame Saturday morning cartoons that taught me different ways to achieve an underhanded win, in their do-gooder quest to teach us impressionable youth about not cheating to win and being a fair team player while not being a sore loser. I usually didn't give two shits about the teachable moment, and was pretty impressed with deviousness of the initial scheme, and almost equally impressed that the plan got foiled so easily. I would immediately believe I could've successfully pulled it off. What did they expect from the generation whose grandparents watched Perry Mason, Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and Columbo religiously? With our own added dash of the WWF's best characters and all time world class fakers! 🤣🤣🤣 Once Hank Hill came out with "the asterisk" beside a questionable win, I started announcing that every one of my cousin's wins came with an asterisk beside them. Needless to say, my "injuries" got more frequent the bigger, faster, and stronger puberty made him. Turns out he was a 6'5" ginger giant that hadn't sprouted yet, and my advantages didn't last long once he did 😂🤷‍♀️ Plus he has this thing now where he really hates injustices and watching the societal "little guy" get pushed around. (She smuggly smiles satisfyingly at self) I built that character 💪🤣 He hasn't yet, but I feel a thank you coming about one day... (Pats herself on back)

[@tmrevenge]

@@Adendum82 hey wait a minute Saturday morning eating breakfast while watching cartoons could have never teach us skills we could use for evil purposes... XD and I can tell you are still finding a way to win no matter what because not only your cousin is against injustice because of what you "though him" but also you are implying you meant to do that XD, you are a riot!! By the way who is your favorite cartoon villain from the old cartoons? For me is Joker from BTAS and Shredded from TMNT

[@bubbajo9089]

Beef history: *uploads* Everyone: *worlds fastest click*

[@bubbajo9089]

Mark Steenson eh personally I didn’t mind but I’m guessing they let someone who knows track and field talk about a track and field beef

[@bubbajo9089]

Mark Steenson idk I’m just bored dude 😂😂

[@rap4life961]

BubbaJo nice comment bro

[@cvalentine5851]

They have not deleted many within the top 60 or so comments, as far as I can tell. What have they deleted?

[@angelito4976]

newclubgirls.life/UvPBEwgsG3Ad

[@trevorama]

That was extremely well put together and heavy on the sass. Loved it! Great job.

[@dj4650]

Bruh Donovan took a 💩on Michael. I remember watching it live and cringing when he faked his injury.

[@ericsilver9401]

Someone should do "the creation of SB nation deserves a deep rewind"

[@hailbg91]

Eric Silver the destruction of a 24 point lead deserves a deep rewind

[@ericsilver9401]

@@hailbg91 why you got to remind me

[@hailbg91]

Eric Silver lol

[@hailbg91]

You’re wasting so much talent with that coach

[@ericsilver9401]

@@hailbg91 yeah we know, but I'm pretty sure the owner forgot she even owned a team

[@trevorlambert4226]

It's a pretty odd coincidence that Johnson pulled up with his "injury" at precisely the moment it was clear he wasn't going to win.

[@mikeappleyard1898]

@Real boxing Fan1 Michael Johnson felt he had no choice but to follow through with his injury and miss a majority of the season. If he did not, he would never hear the end of it every time he entered an event for the rest of his career. By missing most of the following season, he was able to cling to plausible deniability. I may not be able to prove this theory, but nobody can prove it wrong either. My point is, just because Johnson missed most of the following season, that does not prove his injury was legitimate. In fact, it does not prove anything at all.

[@stupidas9466]

Real boxing Fan1 Also realize Johnson missed no major events. Sprinters actually do take time off "in season" quite often. It just worked out well for MJ.

[@hugothomas776]

@@mikeappleyard1898 “I may not be able to prove this theory, but nobody can prove it wrong either.” wow the world of nationalistic bravado yet surprises me

[@danlorett2184]

Uh, not even close? It was clear Johnson was going to lose before they even came out of the bend.

[@majorgamefreak007]

@@hugothomas776 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[@gillyp]

At the time nobody in the world regarding Michael Johnson as the fastest man alive unless if you were American the rest of the world knew it was Donovan Bailey.

[@fitofito1001]

I am an American. I never regarded Johnson as the fastest man at the time. It was American media hype. You can never trust American media.

[@michellemarty7510]

"No man, but two women" THANK YOU!!!!!

[@oyleslyck]

I remember the race to settle the "debate." The metric normally used for fastest person is the 100m dash. The 100m is the Olympic's track and field marquee race. Not only did an American not medal in the race, the Olympic and world records at the time, (both previously held by Americans,) were also broken with Bailey's win. But the American media needed a flag to wave with a narrative for the "fastest" to be someone from the USA. If the 1996 Olympic 100m gold medallist was an American, this race would never have happened. As an aside, this doesn't detract from what Michael Johnson and Donovan Bailey did individually, both were incredible athletes in their prime.

[@MrWhiteVzla]

American arrogance preventing Americans from accepting something? That's news

[@kaberle71]

@Mark Steenson you seem triggurd m8

[@aricrudd6579]

Mark Steenson I’m American, and I also think that America is WAY too arrogant.

[@kags9367]

Michael Johnson is STILL one of the greatest 200m and 400m sprinters ever though, no debate, while Bailey's 9.84s 100m WR been passed by like 15 different dudes

[@areksoo]

@@kags9367 all that means is there's 15 more dudes also faster than Michael Johnson.

[@plutoniumrocket]

"It's five dollars." "I'm world champion." "If you're world champion, you should have five dollars."

[@vep8434]

don't tell me that was the quote of the nightclub convo? lmao

[@AnthonyRHudson22]

$5 Canadian dollars! That is like at least $3.50 in the US. Do you know how many clubs in America you can get into for the price of a Big Mac. Hahahahaha!!!!! I don't know what is sadder that the club bothered to have a $5 cover charge or the fact that Donovan Bailey walked out of the house in the direction of a club without $5 in his pocket...

[@tomkelly8827]

As a Canadian who was 11 when that happened, I can say that that race was not just Donovan vs Michael, It was the war of 1812 all over again minus any Britis involvement. Bailey showed without a doubt why we are the country on top of North America ;^)

[@ajpdeschenes]

3:40 I remember having this picture as a poster when I was a kid!!! Waw! Incredible how images and sensations gets stocked / stucked within your memory! I mean, I didn't even remember having a poster of Donovan, though I remember really liking him.

[@shaunalbert7681]

In honor of Jimmy Johnson finally getting into Canton, I would love a beef history between him and Jerry Jones

[@jayden12242]

Shaun Albert ^^

[@aa134368]

YES

[@philosophy20]

👀👀👀👀

[@grege5074]

i always thought bailey was pulling away and MJ thought "uh oh, better make up an excuse" then pulled up.

[@gogades]

That’s exactly what happened.

[@denzelvalentino8992]

Dude didn't cramp... He got that SMOKE !

[@carryeveryday910]

Phil Tanguay And intentionally missed basically an entire season? Lmaoo. Sure.

[@my3dviews]

He probably wasn't faking, but was going to lose anyway, even if not injured.

[@IcyColdBeveridge]

Plus he lost on the only part of the race he should've had an advantage on really. While Bailey would've had experience running a curve track, his primary event was all straight away, and Michael Johnson's primary events both had curved track. He lost on the curve, and had to have known in the back of his head there was no way he was catching Bailey on a straight away.

[@DTysonator]

Thank you for putting this medium rare beef analysis together :).

[@spelllegacylikedeath9957]

Your commentary and approach to this piece was 100% awesome. I think it’s because you’re awesome

[@LtNduati]

Lmao Donovan Bailey somehow managed to start a trolling "go fund me" when the internet barely existed 😂😂😂

[@JG2K]

injury or not that race was over once they turned the corner. bailey had him beat

[@kingalleles]

ALL FACTS...

[@diypictures]

Not necessarily. If you've seen MJ run he really pulls way from other racers around that last curb and if you stop the video right before he pulls up he got a bit closer. Don't know it he would've won but it definitely would've been a photo finish.

[@patriarchaltyrant3675]

I noticed that too. Literally a split second before the injury he does start gaining on bailey.

[@thetruth1024]

No. This race ended the debate. Bailey had already blown him away even before he “pulled up”. No one has questioned who the world’s fastest man is since.

[@panashejonga4258]

Thank you 👏👏 Easily entertaining and worthwhile

[@Mr4one6]

Great topic. Underrated

[@BigDad138]

Shoutout to Oakville Ontario.

[@kh7955]

Finally! I've been waiting for this one. Michael Johnson was one of my favorite athletes growing up. Thanks SB Nation

[@johnwhitfield5376]

I remember this race.... Although I was a Michael Johnson fan.... Donovan Bailey put it on him that day....

[@joits]

i was a fan of Michael Johnson, but I think he faked his injury during the race with Donovan.

[@curtisgill1931]

I couldn't never false start to avoid racing a faster runner or fake an injury during a race. IDK wth ppl who do that were taught in their early years, but I'm sure THAT wasn't it. Lol

[@FaithandHope4173]

Same

[@phillipd.reddenjr.1329]

Ditto.

[@gon9684]

@@curtisgill1931 It's very different if you are running 1v1, with millions of people looking at you and fighting for your reputation. They were both extraordinary, one fighting for attention and value and the other one trying to prove he was the best. Of course no one would if it's a normal track competition. Tbh I get why Mj would do that, I could see myself doing that in that situation. People would see you as a loser.

[@harolddottin10]

And miss over a year including the Olympics. Where he could have won 3 gold medals 200-400 and 4 by 100 relay

[@rhetrochips9471]

Canada was really proud of Bailey, he was such a great athlete during his time, this petty feud was kind of gross and ruins the memories of both of these amazing athletes, trying to compare two athletes from different events is ridiculous

Rhetro Chips this beef gave us one of the greatest running event ever. We’ve never seen anything like this since.

[@cumcompilationv46trynottoc83]

It didn't ruin anything, it made it better

[@picklenik9658]

Yeah, stop being so nice, Bailey for the win!

[@crazytingz7006]

Hopefully Andre De Grasse can carry the torch 🇨🇦🍁🇨🇦

[@sto1238]

Nationalism is a hell of a drug

[@francisbawasanta6310]

It's always been the 100 m. "Tuh dis dayyyee" lol

[@italiacameron]

Donovan Bailey was the WAS FASTEST MAN. Period. 100 and 4x100...Great guy...clean. how many Americans could go through the same 6 drug tests and pass??? Flojo-doubtful. Love Donovan!!!!🇨🇦❤🇨🇦❤🇨🇦

[@patjablonski9739]

HE’S A CHICKEN

[@nunayobiz]

Michael Johnson had an incredible, unmatched career. The title is for the 100 though. **The double pull up was hilarious, laughed now, laughed then.🤣

[@chadhamilton1513]

You never ran track the competitive nature kicks in when you pull up but your muscle snaps back make you stop in your track

[@ianbusche1471]

Chad Hamilton I did the same thing when my brother was beating me in a race and I run track and that was the fakest thing I’ve ever seen he looks over sees he’s losing by a lot so he just drops out

[@J0SHOFFICIAL]

I had fun watching this, thank you.

[@joebyrd8411]

Michael Johnson:I’m the fastest Donovan Bailey:no that’s me Usain Bolt:I am speed

[@danielcoates933]

High quality beef

[@getsmarty7603]

AAA

[@trevorlambert4226]

"In Johnson's defense, he looks hurt" bahahhaa Oh, you were serious? Dude, faking an injury is not hard.

[@sullyo6068]

Especially when you're who is actually hurt

[@Jolene8]

Are you accusing Bailey of doing the same in the second race?

[@wolvie1973]

Johnson missed half of the following season after the race, if he faked it he really put a ridiculous amount of effort to look credible.

[@wolvie1973]

@Jackson Five He just missed the US Championships and the 400 meters of the World Championships, plus he lost for the first time in years when competing in Paris five days after the showdown with Bailey. But of course you'll explain me that it's nothing important for a professionnal track and field runner to miss the national and world Championships.

[@wolvie1973]

@Jackson Five It doesn't matter that he already won the race one, t'en or a gazillion times or that you're interested or not by the event (by the way, the US Championships are also the only way for an american athlete to qualify for the Olympics or World Championships so it's a little more important than you imagine), the fact is that he missed the events, and he missed the events cause of the injuries sustained while running the 150 meters against Bailey.

[@BlackMillennialMoney]

This was great story telling. Like literally amazing. Had me hooked from the first second

[@cmac6136]

I remember where I was when this happened it was so big for me. Everyone around me and family wanted to see it. (I'm Canadian). Usain Bolt is the fastest man. He was a beast.

[@chriswildhaber35]

Yes he is and records are made to be broken. So we shall see I'm 51 and played alot if sports, And ran track but it's going to be a while before Usain bolts records are broken. But u never know,

[@SuperHero3]

As a Jamaican-Canadian, thank you SB Nation for this beef! I was at the Bailey Johnson Race. It was awesome! Go Bailey!

[@michaelcali8304]

I like her delivery! Good on you SB Nation for continually providing quality edutainment in the world of sports!

[@cvalentine5851]

I’m just going to post something here that I also put in the replies to one of my comments to provide a small anecdotal counter to Mr. Steenson’s claims that SB Nation is deleting comments. Hopefully this will provide some reassurance to those who may be concerned over Mr. Steenson’s claims. (Begin quote) When I posted this, there were 56 comments before mine at the time I started typing. I just sorted the comments by newest and counted them, getting to about 64 before I hit mine, including one calling Clara a “thot” and another calling her “Elastigirl.” This implies that they have not deleted many comments, if any at all, unless they were more offensive than “thot” (End quote) TL;DR: I see no evidence of comment deletion.

[@Jay-jk8lk]

Great video👏🏽

[@56postoffice]

I remember this beef. They showed it in the UK and it was so hyped up. So much like the WWE (who had a USA v Canada storyline of their own!) Donavon Bailey was world class. I like Michael Johnson, too. Great times.

[@darcys9597]

"He didn't give up, he's a chicken!"

[@Santi-mj1hl]

Mayor Ajuana he said “pull up”

[@kelly5693]

Gimme that stanky beef burrito.

[@joeygrunge]

Everyone knows what a coward MJ was. He was pathetic. Loved every second of this.

[@alivialdores978]

this was absolutely a well made documentary style video.....and I'm saying this after only getting halfway through!!!!

[@quinm]

Biggest beef history Sb nation vs Jon Bois

[@JD-mz1rl]

What

[@Urrzx]

Quinn Murphy what happened?

[@nischal711]

@@Urrzx upload times

[@roelhinojosa6748]

Aaaannnnndddd then Usain Bolt happened😂😭🥇 Talking about the world record.

[@lifestylez7116]

telsa roadster Usain Bolt still ran 100 meters faster than Jesse Owens did, it doesn’t matter if the track and technology are better today because it’s still 100 meters in a straight line as fast as you can.

[@dipanjanbhattacharjee5829]

Love your narration and the dry sarcastic humour!! Keep the content coming!!

[@blackfrancis55]

It ended. Johnson feigned injury. Ran like a chicken! Squawked like a chicken! Lost like a chicken!

[@drewagoosa68]

every time Johnson's about to lose, he pulls up

[@cvalentine5851]

This was really well written. I’m a big fan of Clara’s dry comedy and delivery. Thanks SB Nation!

[@bryanarnold1149]

Excellent analysis! Thank you, I enjoyed this

[@homunculusSZN]

That picture of Donovan Bailey breaking the world record at 3:36 needs a t shirt.

[@BDQ1975]

This is nothing new with Johnson. He had beefs with a lot of the 100m sprinters. When he was arriving onto the world stage in 1991/92, MJ had a beef with the Santa Monica Track Club, primarily with their ring leader, Carl Lewis. Of course the Bailey/Johnson beef in 1996/97 and the Greene/Johnson feud in 2000. The ironic thing about each of these beefs that Johnson had, Lewis, Bailey and Greene were all the 100m World Record Holders at that point in time.

[@SL504NYY26]

The beef with Greene was started by Greene starting to run the 200m.

[@Jolene8]

@@SL504NYY26 Same it seems with Bailey, who loses his title when the next gen of runners come along. Lol. As I see it, MJ ran his races in the Olympic field and won his medals along with the accolades. As did Bailey, although he was found to be doping which gave him a bit of an advantage above the other runners. His character made him a loser. A grown man crying over the press he didn't recieve for not winning the races Johnson did. That was the definition of petit.

[@futurehofer1564]

Conclusion: Bailey was faster

[@howard7099]

future hofer actually that’s probably false currently the fastest 100m runner in the world in Christian coleman with a time of 9.76. The fastest 200m runner noah lyles has run 19.50. Lyles has run 9.86 in the 100m. The reason lyles isn’t faster in coleman in the 100 isnt cause of his speed its because of his start. This is the same case here Michael johnson was a “faster” runner but bailey was a much better starter which is more important for the 100m than the 200m, but Johnson’s top end speed was probably higher than bailey’s. Also the video was very biased on the 150m race and it failed to point out that johnson a 400m runner would likely of finished stronger than bailey a guy that never ran more than 100m wasnt trained to finished as strongly, also johnson was right on him in the video until he grabbed his quad and pulled up with an injury. For sake of transparency i am american, but im not arguing johnson for that reason. Michael johnson is the arguably the greatest sprinter ever that isnt named usain bolt so as an avid fan of track and field i find this video very blasphemous and deceiving. This video was made just cause for whatever reason someone wanted to hate on america. But in doing so they are trashing someone who had been maybe the greatest ever before bolt

[@ericpoarch6513]

hj lp The title of fastest man always has been and always will be for the 100m. Bailey ran a top speed of 27 mph in his 100m time which was the fastest ever recorded at the time. Johnson ran an all time great 200m and had better stamina, but there’s virtually no evidence that he ever ran faster than bailey.

[@abhimanyukhadwal]

@@howard7099 okay Murican. No one's reading the whole thing. Chill. Johnson lost. Bite it.

[@futurehofer1564]

@@howard7099 sorry how can you be the second greatest track athlete of all time and have a "worse start", thats part of the run, if you cant do it as good as someone else, you're worse. Plus it clearly said Bailey hit 28miles per hour and Johnson 26.5 as their top speed 🤷‍♂️

[@car9melo]

@@howard7099 lol you are do wrong

[@Christglobalministries816]

This is amazing 💯

[@shastaaubuchon-kenefick4989]

“No man but two women” yess had me dying we been killing this track thing for awhile!

[@irrumabofaucium8861]

The "fastest" woman is slower than any male collegiate runner and even some high school runners as well. Women never kill anything its a participation trophy.

[@MC-rf8sx]

Im from the USA and i thought he faked being hurt

[@futurehofer1564]

No one: Usain Bolt: Hold my beer

[@Shottamanrambo]

***my spliff

[@craigfulton2586]

@@Shottamanrambo My Chicken Nuggets

[@Shottamanrambo]

@@craigfulton2586 lol

[@astroboy5456]

Nawww bro he ran as he drank the beer

[@jeromerobinson9872]

I didn't see the name in the video, but I just want to say this is my new favorite narrator.

[@beansoup1088]

really enjoyable - thank you

[@kevinsheahan9347]

Hey SB Nation! It’s me, Kevin. I haven’t seen this video yet but I think it’s just great. Have a great day SB Nation!

[@SecretBaseSBN]

Hello Kevin! Can't wait for you to see the video, think you're gonna like it. Goodbye!

[@Malekmsalem1]

@UCDRmGMSgrtZkOsh_NQl4_xw why on earth did you replace the narrator? this one speaks with such a nasal voice, can't even watch more than 15 seconds

[@jonbridge6442]

Twas trash

[@frankiesvlogs7269]

Thank u for making a episode for all the track people out there

[@GameOver321]

Awesome video. Only Michael knows if he truly got hurt! I'm a huge fan of Johnson, however, I personally feel that the king of the 100 is the fastest man!

[@juliandavidson2409]

“...which no one has ever done.. but 2 women” lady come on... we’re talking about real sports.

[@carlyata1]

Lol

[@brodyharris7631]

😆😆😆😂😂

[@nicolascaballero1320]

7:55 I'm honestly surprised ric flair only got two votes that dude was a meme before memes were even a thing.

[@KOHoxton]

That dude was an absolute icon for the entire south, mate. Lmao.

[@duckstm]

I came in thinking it was an episode of Michael Jordan vs Donovan Mitchell

[@dylanshort1661]

Ikr

[@zombsmobilebot675]

Both are Carolina fans

[@blackpenredpen]

Me too!

[@scottsacala]

Lol, I love this narrator’s delivery! Very entertaining!

[@hackle511]

I always liked when Americans and their athletes get their behind handed to them. What makes it more hard to swallow for the Americans, is the fact that Donovan Bailey was Canadian 😂