Angela Bailey (28 February 1962 – 31 July 2021) was a Canadian track and field athlete. She was the Canadian record holder in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

with her personal best of 10.98 seconds in 1987. She also holds the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

indoor national record with 23.32 seconds in 1984. She won an

Olympic silver medal An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid ou ...

in the 4×100 metres relay in 1984, three relay silver medals at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

, and a bronze medal in the 60 metres at the 1987 World Indoor Championships.

Career

Bailey was born in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, England. She first came to international attention at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton in 1978. In 1980, she won gold in both

and

at the first Pan American Junior Track and Field Championships in Sudbury, defeating the favoured American sprinter Michele Glover decisively in both distances. She was selected for the 1980 Olympic team but Canada boycotted the Moscow event. Bailey won all her races on a tour of New Zealand in late 1981, which included three gold medals at the

Pacific Conference Games The Pacific Conference Games were a quadrennial Athletics (sport), athletics competition, held between 1969 and 1985 and contested by Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. Each of the five nations hosted an edition of the comp ...

in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay. She placed fourth in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

and seventh in the

at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, and was again fourth in the

in 1986. She won a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

for the 4×100 m relay at the

1978 Commonwealth Games The 1978 Commonwealth Games were held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, from 3 to 12 August, two years after the 1976 Summer Olympics was held in Montreal, Quebec. They were boycotted by Nigeria, in protest at New Zealand's sporting contacts with a ...

, and did so again in both the

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

and

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

games. At the 1983 World Championships, Bailey placed fifth in the 100 metres, seventh in the

and fifth in the 4×100 m relay. At the

1984 Los Angeles Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

, she came in sixth in the 100 metres and won a

in the 4×100 metres relay with

Marita Payne Marita Payne-Wiggins (born October 7, 1960) is a Canadian former track and field athlete who competed in two consecutive Summer Olympics. She is the co- Canadian record holder in the 400 metres, along with Jillian Richardson, and previously held ...

, Angella Taylor and

France Gareau France Gareau (born April 15, 1967) is a Canadian athlete, who competed in the sprint events. Gareau was born in Verner, Ontario. Gareau competed for Canada in the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles, United States in the 100 m ...

. Bailey was a two-time

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n for the

UCLA Bruins track and field The UCLA Bruins track and field team is the track and field program that represents University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruins compete in NCAA Division I as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The team is based in Los Angeles, California ...

team, finishing 4th in the 4 × 100 meters relay and 5th in the 4 × 400 meters relay at the 1985 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Originally fourth in the 60 metres final at the 1987 World Indoor Championships, Bailey was promoted to the bronze medal in 1989, due to the disqualification of Canadian team-mate Angella Issajenko after the Dubin Inquiry. She set the Canadian 100 metres record with 10.98 secs on 6 July 1987 in Budapest, and went on to finish seventh in the 100 metres final at the 1987 World Championships in Rome. She was a quarter-finalist in the

at the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were repres ...

Death

Diagnosed with Stage IV

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

in the fall of 2020, Bailey died of cancer in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

on 31 July 2021, aged 59. A statement from the family read, in part, that Bailey "persevered with amazing strength and resilience as she battled cancer alongside her five year struggle with mental illness."

National titles

Canadian Track and Field Championships The Canadian Track and Field Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organized by Athletics Canada, which serves as the Canadian national championships for the sport. The championships serve as part of the selection proces ...

**100 metres: 1985, 1990 **200 metres: 1985

International competitions

Note: At the 1987 World Indoor Championships, Bailey originally finished fourth. She was promoted to the bronze medal position in 1989 after her Canadian teammate Angella Issajenko, who had won the silver medal, was disqualified after admitting long term drug use at the Dubin Inquiry.
Note: At the 1981 World Cup, Bailey was representing the Americas continent.

References

External links