I'm not getting into the argument over who is better overall, but I remember watching this live at the time, and I always felt that Bailey had the jump on Johnson, and believed that he would have won this race anyway.
I still love watching this after all these years. At that time, USA athletics were ruling the world and USA thought they were far more superior to Canada. The proudest event was the 100m, and Michael Johnson who knew he was beat, punked out and knew afterward he had gone in over his head. This was a turning point for Canadian athletics and I still consider Donovan Bailey an ambassador to our Olympic program.
He didn't lie, missed the Outdoor T&F championships because of the injury and would have missed the world championships if the IAAF didn't make the new rule, allowing him to run (and win). You could even see him grab his leg and still try to continue to run. Johnson isn't a sore loser, he didn't need to lie, everyone that actually follows track and field knows he's faster than Bailey.
@8931600071:12 grabs the leg, doesn't stop running until 1:14. There would be no reason for him to try and make an excuse for losing. It's not like he has never lost a race before this one. Also, Bailey was a hundred meter dash sprinter, obviously he'd be in front of Johnson coming off of the curve. Johnson would have ran him down after the curve if he hadn't had gotten hurt. If he faked the injury, he wouldn't have missed the Outdoor Championships. Plain and simple. Johnson was not a punk.
I think Johnson saw the line and saw it fast approaching and panicked!100m runner vs 200m specialist over 150m! 100m specialist will normally take it! Especially a big strong sprinter like baily! The sad thing is only Johnson knows weather he quit or not and for a man of his accolades that is the worst thing of all!
Man even still today its so shit Johnson went down like that in this race, could have been such a tight fucking finish as well. We all knew Bailey would take the first half, and that Mike could atleast gain up on the straight. Fucking blow man, even before he stopped you could see Mike about to begin his endurance trick. Still respect the pair immensely, just such a shame when we all could see such a fight to the end about to go down. fuaarrrkkkkkk!
One more thing, this race was on June 1, 1997. He "tore" his quad, yet he was fully recovered enough that by August of that same year he won another world title in the 400 meter? Really? That's a pretty damn quick recovery for a "pulled quad" muscle. Most human beings are out for damn near a year with that injury, let alone a track sprinter.
lol look for Johnson to be 8 ft ahead after the stagger *stagger unwinds* bailey is ahead? oh shit im fucked,my leg i have an unknown problem with my leg yea that's it lolololololol
I remember watching this live on TV at 5 years old in Don Mills, Ontario... I loved the part when Donovan Bailey topped it off by jumping onto the blue cushion mat.. miss these days
p.s. during the interview...he's very...very calm for someone that's JUST torn his quad...that is a MASSIVE muscle and very very very very painful to tear. Need more proof?? Johnson threw it cause he was getting his ass beat.
Okay lets timeline this "injury" here. He pulls up "lame" at 1:14. funny how at that point it's clearly out of reach for him to win. he's limping a MASSIVE amount as he's slowing down. now move to 1:27. If you are any form of athlete..if you've pulled a muscle there is NO way u are kneeling like that. 1:43 no limp. 1:59 cant seem to stand without help and then 2:10 he cant decide which leg to limp on. he lost..and threw it to save face...he's fucking pathetic.
Big-Tex, M. D. Johnson with odd upright stance & one short-foot, still holds 400 & 4 x 400 relay WR & OR & 300 WR. His Atlanta '96, 200 / 19.32 OR-WR stood for 12 yrs until lawng-tall fast freak Bolt. Johnson is recognized as the greatest long sprinter ever - the only man to win both 200 & 400 at the same Olympics, and the only man to successfully defend an Olympic 400 title. In all major events he holds 8 gold medals - tied with Carl Lewis for the most Golds won by any runner in history.
Pulled the muscle right about the time he started to lose. I'm sure the Gold Necklace didn't help him either, what an idiot. I'm American and embarrassed that Michael Johnson didn't give Donovan the honor of the win, rather he fakes an injury.
This was such bad sportsmanship by Michael Johnson. It made Donovan's win diminished even though he was obviously going to win the race. Johnson looks like an Italian soccer player faking an injury. He looks at Donovan pull ahead and then goes down. Almost as bad as Mike Tyson biting ears to weasel out of a legitimate loss. Pathetic.
when did the injury come? how about when johnson looked over and saw he couldnt win. Only reason i can think they wouldnt rerun this is that johnson knew he couldnt beat bailey and he didnt want to lose legitimately
@BlueBaby18 The guy runs for a living, if he truly blew out his leg by pushing, there are HUGE appearance fees he woudl have given up. The problem with this race, is it should have happened closer to the end of the olympic games when both guys were in peak shape. If both were peaked, Johnson wins, but in June 97, johnson doesn't get hurt, Bailey wins. Bailey i think could have been an awesome 200m runner, he always started slow in the 100. Why didn't he run the 200m?
He pulled his quad, I hate people commenting when they know jack about the subject, 1997 was a poor season for him anyway, do some research and then some sprinting then I'll respect your opinion
@Moyo2k I've seen people pull quads in races and when you actually pull your quad, you go down alot worse than he did here. Pulling your quad feels like you've been shot. For example, look at Johnson at the 2000 Olympic trials in the 200m when he pulls up compared to here. That race he really did pull something you can tell by the way he goes down. Here he didn't pull his quad, he pulled his vigana LOL.
The injury came just as soon as he began to lose! I'm American but Michael Johnson is a fake!! Give Donovan the respect and just lose, don't fake an injury. Everyone knows the worlds fastest man is at 100m . Michael Johnson was claiming he was what a total tool, the American people bought into it. He really needed to run with a GOLD ROPE on too, typical.
@DavidVargasCa That's a lot of poppycock! Everyone knows the world fastest man is define arbitrarily by the worlds shortest metric sprint which is the 40m.
don't think it would've mattered if he didn't get injured, Bailey still had it.
JKCNinety 5 days ago
This event makes Jeremy Lin look like a god.
Smegma007 1 week ago
Only after Michael lost is he humble about himself. Fuck off.
Smegma007 1 week ago
Honestly i kno mj faked it but his best even is the 400 so the 200 should have decided this not a 150
bgizzle9044 3 weeks ago
Puxxxy
pipios 4 weeks ago
Puzzzy
pipios 4 weeks ago
Pusay
pipios 4 weeks ago
actually, looking at slow motion there's really something wrong that happened to his left quad...
mhatthei 1 month ago
pussy pussy pussy
mhatthei 1 month ago
I'm not getting into the argument over who is better overall, but I remember watching this live at the time, and I always felt that Bailey had the jump on Johnson, and believed that he would have won this race anyway.
eclectica1 1 month ago
DONOVAN BAILEY IS BETTER :)
BombasticLove87 2 months ago
@Jesuco7317 nope Bailey is!!
BombasticLove87 2 months ago
only 1 winner here .
shitmacher 2 months ago
He's a chicken!
jag2424 4 months ago
I still love watching this after all these years. At that time, USA athletics were ruling the world and USA thought they were far more superior to Canada. The proudest event was the 100m, and Michael Johnson who knew he was beat, punked out and knew afterward he had gone in over his head. This was a turning point for Canadian athletics and I still consider Donovan Bailey an ambassador to our Olympic program.
djprezence 4 months ago 4
@djprezence And also helped to erase the shame of Ben Johnson, no doubt...
eclectica1 1 month ago
no mas, no mas
chuckstore 4 months ago
He didn't lie, missed the Outdoor T&F championships because of the injury and would have missed the world championships if the IAAF didn't make the new rule, allowing him to run (and win). You could even see him grab his leg and still try to continue to run. Johnson isn't a sore loser, he didn't need to lie, everyone that actually follows track and field knows he's faster than Bailey.
Trinios11 5 months ago
@Trinios11
don't kid yourself
893160007 3 months ago
@893160007 1:12 grabs the leg, doesn't stop running until 1:14. There would be no reason for him to try and make an excuse for losing. It's not like he has never lost a race before this one. Also, Bailey was a hundred meter dash sprinter, obviously he'd be in front of Johnson coming off of the curve. Johnson would have ran him down after the curve if he hadn't had gotten hurt. If he faked the injury, he wouldn't have missed the Outdoor Championships. Plain and simple. Johnson was not a punk.
Trinios11 3 months ago
I think Johnson saw the line and saw it fast approaching and panicked!100m runner vs 200m specialist over 150m! 100m specialist will normally take it! Especially a big strong sprinter like baily! The sad thing is only Johnson knows weather he quit or not and for a man of his accolades that is the worst thing of all!
cocoisthe1 5 months ago
Man even still today its so shit Johnson went down like that in this race, could have been such a tight fucking finish as well. We all knew Bailey would take the first half, and that Mike could atleast gain up on the straight. Fucking blow man, even before he stopped you could see Mike about to begin his endurance trick. Still respect the pair immensely, just such a shame when we all could see such a fight to the end about to go down. fuaarrrkkkkkk!
mrmobyjones 5 months ago
One more thing, this race was on June 1, 1997. He "tore" his quad, yet he was fully recovered enough that by August of that same year he won another world title in the 400 meter? Really? That's a pretty damn quick recovery for a "pulled quad" muscle. Most human beings are out for damn near a year with that injury, let alone a track sprinter.
Antrizzle2009 5 months ago
Canada 1, USA 0
elfmcdee 5 months ago
BOTTLE JOB!
johng103able 5 months ago
Adidas 1 Nike 0
IwasBannedfromYtube 5 months ago
its always an awesome feeling when an american loses after all the shit talk
nigbot1 5 months ago
i remember this as a kid! I wish we had the Canadian feed. WE showed america whos BOSS
ggqbc 5 months ago
i remember watching this as a kid and saw it in his eyes. He knew from the get go that he didnt have a chance.
toolnv77 6 months ago
lol look for Johnson to be 8 ft ahead after the stagger *stagger unwinds* bailey is ahead? oh shit im fucked,my leg i have an unknown problem with my leg yea that's it lolololololol
Thegeneral543 6 months ago
I remember watching this live on TV at 5 years old in Don Mills, Ontario... I loved the part when Donovan Bailey topped it off by jumping onto the blue cushion mat.. miss these days
wwf8499 6 months ago
Johnson is and always was - a complete Jackass with no class - Donovan was always the greater talent and the Worlds Fastest Man.
CraigsActions 6 months ago
Holy crap even I could've beaten Johnson in this race hahh
vrambo 6 months ago
where is the Donovan interview? "we need to do this again so that I can kick his ass one more time"
boundaryzero 6 months ago
Jay Cutler used this same strategy.
bronco3250 6 months ago
p.s. during the interview...he's very...very calm for someone that's JUST torn his quad...that is a MASSIVE muscle and very very very very painful to tear. Need more proof?? Johnson threw it cause he was getting his ass beat.
JustinCase10261 6 months ago
Okay lets timeline this "injury" here. He pulls up "lame" at 1:14. funny how at that point it's clearly out of reach for him to win. he's limping a MASSIVE amount as he's slowing down. now move to 1:27. If you are any form of athlete..if you've pulled a muscle there is NO way u are kneeling like that. 1:43 no limp. 1:59 cant seem to stand without help and then 2:10 he cant decide which leg to limp on. he lost..and threw it to save face...he's fucking pathetic.
JustinCase10261 6 months ago
what a fuckin LOSER....take it like a man...geeeeeeze...how fucking pathetic are you Michael???
JustinCase10261 6 months ago
They should of made them do a 3 race thing like a 150 200 300 or somethin like that cuz in a 200 and 400 donovon bailey would of got smoked
bgizzle904 6 months ago
Big-Tex, M. D. Johnson with odd upright stance & one short-foot, still holds 400 & 4 x 400 relay WR & OR & 300 WR. His Atlanta '96, 200 / 19.32 OR-WR stood for 12 yrs until lawng-tall fast freak Bolt. Johnson is recognized as the greatest long sprinter ever - the only man to win both 200 & 400 at the same Olympics, and the only man to successfully defend an Olympic 400 title. In all major events he holds 8 gold medals - tied with Carl Lewis for the most Golds won by any runner in history.
DougPatton1 7 months ago
Good thing Bailey didn't take up his offer on the meter lead or Johnson's lost would have been even more embarrassing
Fresus2 7 months ago 4
less than two months later, Maurice Greene was world champion over 100m.....earning himself the title of "WORLD'S FASTEST MAN"
jc2fly 7 months ago
hahaha he just didn't want to show how badly He would have lost if he finished the race. Donovan was gaining crazy momentum!!
TheSf49erfan 7 months ago
LOL besides the fake muscle pull, they were both on roids.
Shomeintheknee 8 months ago
the most fake injury ever
TompaSWE1 8 months ago 2
Pulled the muscle right about the time he started to lose. I'm sure the Gold Necklace didn't help him either, what an idiot. I'm American and embarrassed that Michael Johnson didn't give Donovan the honor of the win, rather he fakes an injury.
DavidVargasCa 8 months ago 4
...the muscle pull is well documented with medical records to back it up...
Shomeintheknee 9 months ago
@Shomeintheknee Liar no it wasn't . I'm American and he was lying.
DavidVargasCa 8 months ago
This was such bad sportsmanship by Michael Johnson. It made Donovan's win diminished even though he was obviously going to win the race. Johnson looks like an Italian soccer player faking an injury. He looks at Donovan pull ahead and then goes down. Almost as bad as Mike Tyson biting ears to weasel out of a legitimate loss. Pathetic.
BatteryEaters 10 months ago 2
Stop being ridiculous people, his quad pull is a well documented fact.
rccwilliams 10 months ago
when did the injury come? how about when johnson looked over and saw he couldnt win. Only reason i can think they wouldnt rerun this is that johnson knew he couldnt beat bailey and he didnt want to lose legitimately
meunier251 11 months ago 3
"Johnson pulled a muscle"
HAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ! yeah right.
BlueBaby18 1 year ago 35
@BlueBaby18 The guy runs for a living, if he truly blew out his leg by pushing, there are HUGE appearance fees he woudl have given up. The problem with this race, is it should have happened closer to the end of the olympic games when both guys were in peak shape. If both were peaked, Johnson wins, but in June 97, johnson doesn't get hurt, Bailey wins. Bailey i think could have been an awesome 200m runner, he always started slow in the 100. Why didn't he run the 200m?
TheAngeltoDemon 6 months ago
@BlueBaby18
He pulled his quad, I hate people commenting when they know jack about the subject, 1997 was a poor season for him anyway, do some research and then some sprinting then I'll respect your opinion
Moyo2k 5 months ago
@Moyo2k I've seen people pull quads in races and when you actually pull your quad, you go down alot worse than he did here. Pulling your quad feels like you've been shot. For example, look at Johnson at the 2000 Olympic trials in the 200m when he pulls up compared to here. That race he really did pull something you can tell by the way he goes down. Here he didn't pull his quad, he pulled his vigana LOL.
Antrizzle2009 5 months ago
LYINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG he didnt pull a muscle false, keep it real
tallbr0 1 year ago 19
classic shit. michael johnson was a great athlete but he didn't have a chance at this distance against bailey.
theodorewolfgang 1 year ago 5
The injury came just as soon as he began to lose! I'm American but Michael Johnson is a fake!! Give Donovan the respect and just lose, don't fake an injury. Everyone knows the worlds fastest man is at 100m . Michael Johnson was claiming he was what a total tool, the American people bought into it. He really needed to run with a GOLD ROPE on too, typical.
DavidVargasCa 1 year ago 6
@DavidVargasCa That's a lot of poppycock! Everyone knows the world fastest man is define arbitrarily by the worlds shortest metric sprint which is the 40m.
iMaDeMoN2012 9 months ago