July 27, 1996 to Aug. 20, 2016
Where were you on July 27, 1996? If you were old enough to watch TV that summer evening 20 years ago, you’ll probably be able to remember where you were when Donovan Bailey won gold in Atlanta. Today, it remains one of the defining moments in Canadian sports history. Bailey became an Olympic hero, breaking the world record in a race that remains perhaps the greatest of all-time. I was 16 years old, visiting my grandparents in Cape Breton for the summer. We watched the 100m final on a TV in a wooden frame that sat on the f loor.
In preparation for this, our Olympic issue, I spent hours sifting through the results and news reports of every Games, all the way back to 1896, and reached out to every potential member of the 2016 team to talk about their hopes, fears and Olympic memories.
Canada has been participating in the Olympic movement since the 1900 Paris Games, where Strathroy, Ont.’s George Orton won our first medal, a gold, in the 2,500m steeplechase. In the first Games to allow women to compete (1928) Canada dominated on the track, winning four medals in the five sprint events on offer.
Since 1928, Canada has had its ups and downs on the track at the Games. Through the decades we struggled to be competitive. Then, of course, there was the Ben Johnson scandal, which seemed to turn many Canadians cynical about track and about our own ability to create truly world-class runners. Lost in these dark years were a few great performances. Mark McKoy’s 1992 110m hurdles gold, which was tainted by his admission that he’d previously dabbled in peds, and Angela Chalmers’s 3,000m bronze. The two Eastern European runners who placed ahead of her have since been identified as dirty. Imagine if Chalmers had won gold in ’92?
It wasn’t until 1996 that Canada had a performance that captivated the entire country, bringing us together as a community. After three nerve-wracking false starts, Bailey was the last to get out of the blocks. With just 15m to go, Bailey surged ahead – 9.84, a new world record. As Bailey crossed the finish line he knew he’d won, and began yelling to his right, arms to his side as if they were shooting out all that pent up tension. He was ecstatic. I was ectastic. Bailey was screaming, but we couldn’t hear him on the T V over the crowd. I remember hearing someone scream from a house down the street. Everyone in Canada was screaming with happiness at Bailey and he seemed to know and was screaming back. After acknowledging his colleagues, Bailey plucked a Canadian f lag from the crowd and did a victory lap, waving the maple leaf. It was the biggest moment in sports history for Canada, erasing the sins of Ben Johnson and declaring that our small nation could produce greatness. Then, another 20 years passed. Missed opportunities; smaller Olympic track teams; disappointment.
Last year at the World Championships in Beijing, Canada turned a corner. Our cover athlete Melissa Bishop set the Canadian women’s 800m record in the semi-final, and then stunned the world with a silver-medal finish. Bishop is a true homegrown talent. After university she stayed in Windsor, Ont. to pursue a pro track career instead of being wooed away. In her Olympic debut in London, she was overwhelmed and f lamed out in the preliminary round. But four years later, she’s evolved into one of the best track talents this country has ever produced. Bishop is a favourite and someone we should be excited about. If she wins gold in Rio, she will surely become a transcendent figure in the history of Canadian running.
Where will you be on Aug. 20. when Melissa Bishop goes for gold in the 800m?