1996 Olympic 100m champion Donovan Bailey has dismissed his track ‘rivalry’ with Michael Johnson and explained how the 150m race between him and the American sprint legend came to be.

Speaking on ‘The Powells’ YouTube Channel hosted by former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell and his wife Alyshia, the Jamaican-Canadian explained that there was no rivalry between himself and Michael Johnson since every time they raced together, he was always the one winning.

Bailey, a former world record holder himself, said the first time they clashed in 1994, he beat Michael Johnson.

At the event, Michael Johnson would only run in the final but Bailey competed in all the rounds and still beat the former 200m and 400m world record holder in the final.

“Michael and I ran together for the first time in 1994 in Germany and he was trying to step down and I think he was actually doing a couple of rounds. My coach and agent told me that Michael Johnson would be running the 100m final but not the heats or any other race. The people were there to see the fastest guys run and I was like he’s sitting in the stands watching us run. I ran and won my heat and then the finals came and I murdered them,” Bailey said.

“I’m sitting in the stands, there’s no rivalry then or now…you know. I’m in the 100m and odd list history of the Olympics, I’ve been the only one to break the world record and to not be the fastest man in the world, and Michael said that…I mean, the NBC said that first but Michael bought into the idea and I think to this day. I know that I represent terrible days at his office, every time he stepped up, I mean, I knocked him down,” Bailey added.

After the 1996 Summer Olympics, American Sportscaster Bob Costas claimed that 200m Gold medalist Johnson was faster than Bailey because Johnson's 200m time (19.32 Seconds) divided by 2 (9.66 Seconds) was shorter than Bailey's 100m time (9.84). 

This started a debate on whether Johnson or Bailey was the real "World's Fastest Man", which in turn resulted in a 150m race between the two in 1997, in which Bailey won after Johnson allegedly injured his hamstring.

He says the 150m race came about after discussions while admitting that from it, he made a lot of money.

Competing before a sold-out stadium at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Bailey explained that he knew he had to win the race to prove everyone wrong and he certainly showed, winning in 14.99 seconds.

“There was no rivalry…I appreciate that. Running the 100m, Michael is a 10.1 guy at his greatest thing and then again and he is one of the best endurance athletes to ever walk the face of this earth…world record in the 200m and 400m, no chance can he be in the 100m,” he explained.

“Bob Kersee had said Michael Johnson was the fastest man and I think it was also America, and they were hosting the Olympics. I had just arrived from Texas and broken a world record. They had to build up Michael,” Bailey added.

Michael Johnson, the Olympic champion and former world record holder in the 200m and 400m, has unveiled his latest venture: a lucrative new athletics league called Grand Slam Track (GST). Aimed at revolutionizing the track and field landscape, GST promises to bring together the world's elite runners with a significant financial incentive, offering USD$100,000 as the top prize.

Set to kick off in April 2025, the league will feature a prize fund of USD$12.6 million spread over four events annually. Two of these events will be hosted in the United States. Each year, 48 athletes will be contracted to the league, competing in two events per meet across the four meetings, dubbed "Slams."

"We're revolutionizing the track landscape," said Johnson. "They deserve to be compensated. The structure of the sport in the past has not compensated those athletes to take that risk to go and compete against the best athletes in the sport."

The league has already attracted top-tier talent, with American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, the Olympic and World Champion, and world record holder in the 400m hurdles, being the first athlete to join. "I firmly believe that this is the step forward that track needs to take it to another level," McLaughlin-Levrone stated.

Grand Slam Track will feature a unique format where each meet hosts 96 athletes, split into two categories: GST Racers and GST Challengers. The 48 core GST Racers, divided equally among six event groups for both men and women, will compete in all four Slams each year. They will receive an annual base compensation and can earn additional prize money. The GST Racing Committee, which selects these athletes, focuses on global championship titles, top rankings, global following, and existing rivalries.

The other 48 athletes at each Slam, known as GST Challengers, will be selected based on recent performances and intriguing matchups. They will be paid appearance fees per event and are also eligible for full prize money. Both Racers and Challengers will compete in two events over three days during each Slam.

The event categories are designed to showcase the versatility and skills of the world's best athletes, including short sprints (100m and 200m), short hurdles (100m hurdles for women or 110m hurdles for men, and 100m), long sprints (200m and 400m), long hurdles (400m hurdles and 400m), short distance (800m and 1500m), and long-distance (3000m and 5000m). Athletes' placements in each event are critical as their scores across two events will determine their final ranking for that Slam. The scoring system awards ten points for first place, eight points for second, six points for third, five points for fourth, four points for fifth, three points for sixth, two points for seventh, and one point for eighth place. In the event of a tie, the quickest combined time across the two events will decide the Slam winner.

Johnson's Grand Slam Track is poised to create a significant shift in the track and field world, providing athletes with better financial rewards and a platform to showcase their talents against the best in the world. With substantial backing and a well-thought-out structure, GST is set to become a premier destination for elite runners globally, promising thrilling competitions and redefining the sport's financial landscape.

Former Olympic champion Michael Johnson, who won two gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Games, believes that Jamaican sprinting icons Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah are underappreciated.

In an interview with Athletics Weekly, the former 200m and 400m world record holder offered an interesting new lens to look at the sport, saying we should focus on head-to-head duels rather than fixating on times.

Johnson said that nowadays, track and field is too focused on the times and not focused enough on the rivalry and the storytelling behind the scenes as well, and the women’s 100m rivalry between Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson-Herah is a perfect opportunity to showcase that.

“Yeah, I mean I would say that it’s a perfect example of the problem because I don’t think that Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce or Elaine Thompson-Herah get enough credit for what they’ve done in the sport because we’re so focused on times,” said Johnson.

“So, you know right now I can see that you know what’s going to happen most likely with Elaine is, there’s going to continue for the remained of her career unless she breaks the World record in the 100m, a focus now on whether she breaks the world record or not and if she doesn’t, you know there’s a danger that people will be disappointed,” he said.

The 29-year-old Thompson-Herah is a five-time Olympic champion and the 100m and 200m title holder from both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

At 35, Fraser-Pryce has three Olympic gold medals – eight medals in total – including the gold-standard 100m crown won at both Beijing 2008 and London 2012. She is also a nine-time world champion and the reigning world gold medallist at 100m.

“I mean, then the fact that you have at the same time these two women from this very small island, who go head-to-head you know at these championships and they, between the two of them, they’ve won the gold medals in the 100m over the last four Olympic Games,” said Johnson.

The current 100m world record has stood since 1988, Florence Griffith-Joyner, also known as Flo-Jo, became the only woman ever to break the 10.5-second barrier with a run of 10.49 at the US Olympic trials in 1988. Since then, many have deemed the mark impossible to beat – not least because of controversy regarding possible wind assistance at those trials.

Johnson feels instead of focusing on the world record, we should be focused more on these athletes and their ability to deliver when it counts at championships.

“You know that’s incredible and I think that should be celebrated. And if I think if we were focused more on these athletes and their ability to deliver when it counts at championships and win the head-to-head battle as opposed to well this time and what was the wind and you know is it a national record and how close is it to the world record and all of those things, I think we are robbing ourselves and the sport of its greatness,” he said.