Report07 Jun 1998


Bailey wins in Milan and Dortmund

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Donovan Bailey, training in December 1997 (© Getty Images)

100m world record holder Donovan Bailey opened his European season with victories in both the "Notturna" in Milan on Friday 5 June, where he clocked 10.16 and in Dortmund, where he crossed the line a hundredth of a second ahead of Nigeria's Osmond Ezinwa to win the event in 10.26.

The times are obviously well off his 1996 world record mark of 9.84, but it is still relatively early in the season and Bailey is still not fully recovered from his nagging heel injury.

The times contrast strongly with the "windy" 9.79 clocked by Bailey's greatest rival of the moment, Maurice Greene(USA) in the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene the week before and only the rest of the season will tell whether the two will be as closely matched on the track as they are in the race-talking stakes.

Bailey has often said that he runs to win rather than to set record times, but both are likely to be a requirement if the early season form of Greene and his training partner Ato Boldon (TRI), who has the fastest wind-legal time of the season (9.86 in Walnut, USA on 19 April), are maintained.

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