The title of World’s Fastest Man is one which few are ever able to lay claim. It is perhaps fitting that the man who currently holds this unique distinction has followed a path to the top that is equally unique.

Born in Manchester, Jamaica, in 1967, Donovan Bailey came to Oakville when he was 12 years old. His early years in Oakville gave little clue that he would one day go on to become the world’s fastest man. Donovan was not a childhood sensation on the track, but rather grew up with a balance between school, sports, and his friends —typical of most teenagers.

His father always encouraged Donovan to push himself to be the best he could be in whatever he did, but George Bailey never envisioned his son pursuing a career on the track.

Although Donovan ran track in high school, when he graduated from Queen Elizabeth Park, he had no dreams of running track as a career. In fact, basketball was his first sport love and he played throughout high school and through his first year at Sheridan College before committing himself to his studies.

After graduating from Sheridan with a diploma in Business Administration (marketing), Donovan focused on a business career and ran his own successful business before giving thought to participating in track and field as anything more than a hobby.

While entering some sprint races as a diversion from his business career, he soon found he was able to be competitive with Canada’s best. Through sheer talent he began to inch closer to the Canadian team and was named as an alternate for the 4x100M relay team at the 1993 World Championships. This modest success encouraged him to pursue his career in athletics more seriously. The results which soon followed are well known. A Canadian 100M record of 9.91 in July 1994, a gold medal in the 100m and 4x100M at the 1995 World Championships, and a gold medal in the 100m and 4x100M at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. His Olympic winning time of 9.84 seconds set a world record that still stands.