The ultimate in teamwork, determination, and guts; Jamaica’s own Donovan Bailey signs on to be coach on Canada’s Ultimate Challenge

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Strength, stamina, and skill,

Facing off in a variety of physical challenges designed to push you to your limits.

The ultimate in teamwork, determination, and guts as you battle it out for the title of Canada’s Ultimate Champion.

A competition structured in a way that showcases thrilling solo, tandem, and team challenges that test your mental and physical endurance.

When you’re excited, afraid, or emotionally charged, your body produces the hormone adrenaline. When released into your blood, this hormone: increases your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate, which can sharpen your senses and give you a boost of energy.

If you’re drawn to activities that provoke thrilling sensations and a rush of adrenaline, then the brand-new competition series, Canada’s Ultimate Challenge, premiered on February 16^th, 2023, on CBC and CBC Gem, and you are just in time to get caught up with all the action.

Consisting of eight one-hour episodes, Canada’s Ultimate Challenge is a one-of-a-kind competition featuring six exceptional coaches who will train and support regular Canadians as they face challenging physical tasks at various iconic locations throughout Canada. This show turns the entire country into a giant obstacle course. Over the last few weeks, six extraordinary coaches have guided and mentored teams of everyday Canadians into facing fears, and tapping into their inner strengths in ways that you would not find in ANY other competition.

The coaches include: sprinting legend and two-time Olympic champion, Donovan Bailey; Mohawk Olympian in water polo and advocate for Indigenous sport, Waneek Horn-Miller; six-time Olympic medallist in cycling and speed skating, Clara Hughes; three-time Olympic speed skater Gilmore Junio; former captain of Canada’s Olympic bronze medal-winning rugby sevens team, Jen Kish; and NFL Super Bowl Champion and competitive cyclist, Luke Willson.

Throughout the eight-episode series, the superstar Canadian coaches have had to make strategic decisions that motivate their players to victory. From one coast to another, Canada has been transformed into an intricate obstacle course. The excitement commences in Whistler, BC, where the teams collaborated to take part in an obstacle relay race that lead to the top of the Whistler Olympic Park Ski Jump.

In Kelowna, BC, the teams were tasked with pulling an airplane as fast as possible down a runway. At the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, players rappelled down the outside of the historic castle hotel and onto the charming streets of Old Quebec. Finally, at Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park in New Brunswick, tandem teams work together to push a sled through the world-famous Bay of Fundy mud flats.

I was happy to see that there was Caribbean representation, and coaching one of the teams is the one and only Donovan Bailey.

Donovan Bailey is one of the world’s all-time greatest and most dominant sprinting legends. Track and Field News named Bailey Sprinter of the Decade (90’s), and he is the first man in history to be: world champion, Olympic champion and world record holder at the same time.  In 1996 he held the fastest top speed ever recorded in history at 27.07 mph, a speed only surpassed by Usain Bolt. Donovan also broke the indoor 50-metre world record in a time of 5.56 seconds, a record that still stands today.

Since retirement in 2001, he has worked as a commentator for CBC, CTV and Eurosport. He happens to be one of the only Canadian athletes to be inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame twice, and most recently was the recipient of the Order of Canada.

I initially met with Donovan at the CBC launch of their series for 2023, and after sharing some words of wisdom with me; we arranged to speak about his involvement in the show. We connected again last week, and he shared a little of his story with me. I am not going to go into great detail, but I will share a little secret with you; there is some HUGE news coming from the Bailey camp this summer, so stay tuned for that.

To start, he shared a little bit of his life with me.

“I was born in Manchester, Jamaica, and I am a country boy at heart. I travelled back and forth to Canada from the age of seven, so I was very familiar with the country. I moved to Canada when I was 11 years old, and ended up settling in Oakville, Ontario.

As you know Simone, West Indian parents are focused on their child’s academic performance, but I was an athlete. When I was in Jamaica, I was the fastest child in my area. I went to CHAMPS and did very well. When I left Jamaica, I was the fastest athlete in my age group.

My dad wanted me to be a lawyer, and my mom; well, she wanted what was best for me. I was a momma’s boy. My mom knew I was going to be successful in whatever I chose to do.”

The rest is history, a legacy that has propelled him into other ventures.

“I retired in 2001 and have been working as a sports analyst since 2001. One of the executive producers on CBC pulled me aside one day, and said they had a show that I would be a great fit for. I saw the concept behind Canada’s Ultimate Challenge, and I knew some of the people who would be working on the show with me. I liked the idea, so I was game.”

On the show, Donovan was the host of Team Red, a team comprised of:

• Dilpreet Bhattal, 31, a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor from Toronto, Ontario
• Lori Campbell, 50, a University Associate, and Vice-President from Regina, SK
• Chris Cederstand, 42, an athlete, Public Speaker, and Fire Fighter from Okotoks, AB
• Franz Wellington, 52, a Lifestyle and Fitness Coach from Toronto, On

“Getting to know the athletes peeled back a whole different layer on this competition,” Donovan tells me. “Chris was an incredible leader. I would tell the team what I wanted, and he would help lead the team. Lori was the most mentally strong person on the team, and Coach France was the most athletic person on the entire show. Dilpreet probably should have been the star of the show. She went against everything in her culture to do everything she wanted. All the athletes were just amazing human beings.

It was a great competition show, the only thing; there wasn’t enough diversity. I would love to see that. I am hoping that we get a second season, and I want to see more of our Caribbean athletes out there showing their greatness. This is your time to shine. One of the most exciting perks was that I was able to see parts of Canada that I have never seen before. It is definitely an experience of a lifetime.”

It’s not too late; you can watch Canada’s Ultimate Challenge on Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem. In the end, only one team will win CANADA’S ULTIMATE CHALLENGE!