GOTHENBURG. Aug 7 Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin restored Canada's ath-

letics pride wh en they sped to the gold and silver in the 100 metres final at the World Championships on Sunday, report agencies.

While not totally exercising the ghost of their disgraced compatriot Ben Johnson, whose 1987 world and 1988 Olympic titles were stripped from him after he tested positive for steroids, they at least banished his notorious deeds to a bygone era.

Bailey, already acclaimed as the fastest man In the world this year after running 9.91 seconds at his national championships In July, clocked 9.97 seconds to win the gold, with Surin clocking 10.03 for the silver.

Bailey, like Johnson, was born in Jamaica and emigrated to Canada as a child, while Surin was born in Haiti before his parents moved to Canada when he was seven. Both aged 27. they could now restore their adopted country's wounded Olympic pride in Atlanta next year.

"It wasn't a great performance. but it will do." said a beaming Bailey. "I came good in the middle part of the race and just went for it. It's all mental at this level of competition."

Surin, who Inherited the mantle of Canada's top sprinter after Johnson's fall from grace, said: "One-two for Canada. How sweet. But we were ready for it. Now we are ready for great things in the relay. Canada could be a big surprise." Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago, at 21. I he youngest man in the race, clocked the same time as Surin, but was awarded the bronze.

Bailey and Surin went out of their way to show the world that Canadian sprinters shouldn't automatically be associated with drugs.

Finishing 1-2 at the Worlds seemed an ideal way to do it.

"There had been doubts that we deserved the 1-2 ranking in the world." Bailey said after winning Sunday's final. "Now. the doubters have been answered."

The 27-year-old Jamaican-born sprinter says he has been tested six limes in the past three weeks. It's be cause, like Johnson, he's a Jamaican-born Canadian who runs fast.

Bailey said that after

Johnson was banned for life for taking steroids to enhance his performances, other Canadians tended to look down on die young black sprinters who once Idolised the former champion.

The Johnson scandal emptied the stands at athlet ics meets, he said. Until re

only American finalist. Mike Marsh, and for the defending titlist. Linford Christie.

Marsh. Olympic 200-me-tre titlist and winner of the 100 final at the US trials, placed fifth in 10.10. The fact that he didn't medal meant it was the first time since the 1976 Olympics in Montreal

cendy.

"Now there's 8.000 or more showing up to watch us," Bailey said and. after this performance, there will be thousands more.

Bailey went into the Championships as the fastest in the world this year with a 9.91 he raced at the Canadian championships in Montreal a month ago.

His 9.97 to win the gold medal before 40.000 fans in the Ullevl Stadium was the only sub-10.00 performance of the championship.

While the race was a major triumph for the Canadian pair, it was a disaster for the

that the United States was empty handed from the 100 metres at a major meet.

"It's been quite a long time that 1 ran so bad." Marsh said. "It's going to be hard to come back. I'll have tp check out my mistakes and see what happened.

"I had a terrible start. You can't have such a start at this level of competition."

In Sundays oilier finals, defending titlist Andrei Abduvallyev of Tajikistan won the hammer throw title with 81.56 meters (267-71 and Italy's Michele Didono took the men's 20-kllometre walk at 1:19.59, his career best.