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Bailey thinking of retiring as he pulls out of Canadian relay team
SYDNEY, Sept 28 (AFP) - Canada's former 100 metres world recordholder Donovan Bailey has pulled out of his country's 4x100 relay team, his manager said on Thursday. Another source close to Bailey suggested that he might well retire by the start of next season. Ray Flynn told AFP that Bailey, whose defence of his Olympic crown ended when he all but pulled up in his second round heat, was not in the right state physically or mentally to run for the defending champions. "It's a combination of his health and his mental state," Flynn said. "He really isn't ready to race at the moment," he added. The other source close to Bailey's camp, which includes Canada's two-time world 100m silver medallist Bruny Surin and Olympic 100m bronze medallist Obadele Thompson of Barbados, suggested that the way he was feeling suggested he would retire soon despite next year's world championships being held in Edmonton, Canada. Bailey, who has seen his world title, world record and Olympic crown all fall into the hands of bitter rival Maurice Greene, has never really recovered his form or fitness since he returned from rupturing his Achilles tendon in 1998. Although Bailey, who came late to the sport after a successful period as a marketing executive, has always gone by the mantra that 'Donovan Bailey don't lie down for nobody' the source said that that was even beginning to ring hollow in the former champion's mind. "His future is really up in the air," the source told AFP. "He's going through a reflective period with all options being considered. "I don't think he ever really wanted to come here and that was mirrored in the way he ran in the 100 .. his mind wasn't on the job," he added. The source added that even trying to gee Bailey up by going back over all his achievements was not doing the trick in reenergising his confidence. "Normally one would think that that tactic would work but that's not the type of person Donovan is," he said. "Even if the person responsible for Edmonton said that he would do anything to have Donovan there it is far from likely at the moment. "I don't think he should have come back after the injury and the trouble is he is finding it out the hard way now because quite apart from trying to rediscover his form physically he now is too down to even believe he can fight back," the source added. Should Bailey fail to make it to Edmonton it will herald the end of a golden era in Canadian sprinting at major championships in the post Ben Johnson era. Surin, who is a two-time world indoor 60m champion, has already said he will not be there and will only compete in the Francophone Games before the 33-year-old Haitian-born runner retires at the end of next season.
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