McDonald Bailey

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Emmanuel McDonald Bailey (born December 8, 1920 in Williamsville , Trinidad , † December 4, 2013 in Port of Spain ) was a sprinter starting for the United Kingdom who was successful after the Second World War.

He won a total of fourteen AAA championships:

year 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953
100 y 9.8 9.7 9.7 9.9 9.6 9.6 9.8
220 y 22.3 21.7 21.7 21.8 21.4 21.4 21.4

Career

As a student at the Queen's Royal College in Port of Spain , he ran a national record of 21.5 seconds in 1937. A year later, the 17-year-old took part in a championship in the UK for the first time and reached the intermediate run. Then the Second World War interrupted his career.

In 1944 he returned to England as a member of the Royal Air Force . He was invited to represent the United Kingdom in an international match against France. In the first post-war year, however, he started again for Trinidad at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia . As captain of his team, he won bronze over 100 m and in the relay.

At the end of 1947 he suffered a severe leg injury that was not completely healed the following year, so the National Olympic Committee of Trinidad and Tobago waived his nomination for the 1948 Olympic Games in London. His father, who was himself represented in the TTOA, then advised him to start for the United Kingdom. He did it, finishing sixth over 100m (10.6s)

In 1949 he was back in top form and set the world record set by Jesse Owens in Reykjavík with 10.2 s over 100 m as the fourth runner . The organizers had neglected to install the anemometer required for the recognition of records, so that two years passed before McDonald Bailey was allowed to register as a European record holder: On August 25, 1951, in the Yugoslavian city of Belgrade, he put the 100 m again in 10.2 Seconds back. With 9.6 s he already held the British 110-yard record.

At the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952 , he started over 100 m, 200 m and in the 4 x 100 meter relay . Over 200 m he came fourth in 21.0 s and added a further fourth place as the starting runner of the British 4 × 100 m relay. Over 100 m, however, he had more luck: After the first four runners had been stopped with 10.4 s, the finish photo had to decide. Bailey was awarded the bronze medal behind outsiders Lindy Remigino and Herb McKenley .

After finishing his sporting career, he went to British Guiana , where he worked for the Bookers company. After returning to Trinidad, he worked for the National Energy Corporation and the Shell Oil Company. As a member of the London Institute of Journalists, he annotated the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh for the BBC . At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he took part as coach of the national team of Trinidad and Tobago. As a sports journalist, he worked for the daily Trinidad Express and the weekly magazine Catholic News .

In 1977 he was honored with the Chaconia Gold Medal for his athletic achievements. His merit is in particular the propagation of long-distance running as a training tool.

McDonald Bailey was married with five children. He last lived in Port of Spain. He went blind towards the end of his life but continued to work as a columnist for the Catholic News . He died on December 4, 2013.

Individual evidence

  1. a b Mark Pouchet: T&T loses an icon in Mc Donald Bailey . In: Trinidad Express . 5th December 2013.

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