DONOVAN BAILEY yesterday, issued a statement apologising for his comments about Michael Johnson following their 150 metre race on Sunday.
"I want to apologise to Michael Johnson for my post race comments at the Toronto SkyDome," Bailey said in a statement.
"Michael and I began this unique event as friends, but the buildup to the race has left the friendship strained."
"I have tremendous respect for Michael's athletic ability and I hope that the injury he sustained is not season threatening. I wish him a speedy return to competition."
After his victory, Bailey said: "He (Johnson) didn't pull up. He's a chicken ..." and "he didn't pull up. He's just a coward."
Meanwhile, the coach of Chinese track queen Wang Junxia admitted yesterday that he was losing the battle to keep the 5,000 metres Olympic gold medallist from retirement.
Confirming that Wang would not compete in the World Championships in Greece this summer, Mao Dezhen also revealed that the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres world record holder had not trained since October last year.