Maurice Greene is pictured above - lane 4 - crossing the line to win gold in the 100m final
at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton. This completed a trio of successive victories
for Greene in the 100m at the World Championships, following on from his
triumphs in Athens in 1997 and Seville 1999.
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Men's 100m. Final
World Athletics Championships 2001
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| 1. Maurice GREENE |
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USA |
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9.82 |
| 2. Tim MONTGOMERY |
|
USA |
|
9.85 |
| 3. Bernard WILLIAMS |
|
USA |
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9.94 |
| 4. Ato BOLDON |
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TRI |
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9.98 |
| 5. Dwain CHAMBERS |
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GBR |
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9.99 |
| 6. Kim COLLINS |
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STK |
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10.07 |
| 7. Christian MALCOLM |
|
GBR |
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10.11 |
| 8. Aziz ZAKHARI |
|
BAH |
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10.24 |
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In 1998 Maurice Greene ran a 9.79 seconds 100 metres. The world record
stood at 9.84 seconds. Alas for Maurice the following wind of 2.9
seconds was 0.9 over the limit. His best legal time for the season was
9.90 seconds which placed him fourth on the annual ranking lists.
Training partner Ato Boldon topped the lists with 9.86. Even so Maurice
was still regarded as the World's top sprinter. He proved as much the
following year when he returned to the scene of his World Championship
triumph (Athens) on June 16th and ran another 9.79 seconds 100 metres.
Only this time the wind was almost nil (0.1) and the world record was
finally his. Donovan Bailey's old record was actually equalled in the
race by fellow Canadian Bruny Surin in second place. The man from Kansas
City now prepared himself to defend his World title at Seville in
August and perhaps go one better than two years earlier by contesting
the gold medal in the 200 metres. (Maurice is shown above during the 200 metres © G.H.)
As events turned out he stole the show. He retained the 100 metres
title in a championship record time of 9.80 seconds and then took the
200 metres crown with a winning time 19.90 seconds.
He completed a 'hat
trick' of medals by anchoring the 4 x 100 metres team! Needless to say
he topped the 100m ranking lists in 1999 though amusingly he 'only'
ranked sixth in the 200m where Francis Obikwelum took the honours with
his 19.84 recorded when winning the other semi-final at the World
Championships (Maurice won his in 20.10). (George Herringshaw)
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In 1996 Maurice Greene contested his first major international
championships when he competed in the Atlanta Olympic Games. He ran his
fastest time in the heats, 10.06 seconds, which ranked him as the 28th
fastest sprinter in the world but he did not figure in the final stages
of the sprint contest. Within one year he had overtaken the twenty seven
ranked ahead of him in 1996 and ended the year as the number one in the
world with a season best of 9.86 seconds. But far more important than
that was the fact he was now also the new World Champion.
His victory in
the sixth World Championships, held in Athens, was even more satisfying
because the man he relegated to second place was the world record
holder and Olympic Champion Donovan Bailey of Canada who two years
before in Gothenburg had won the title . Maurice had beaten Donovan in
the semi-final by the narrowest of margins (9.90 to 9.91). However, in
the final the Canadian was unable to improve upon his semi-final time -
he ran another 9.91 with Tim Mongomery (USA) third in 9.94 secs. Greene
further followed in the footsteps of Bailey by anchoring the 4 x 100
relay team to a gold medal. The photo above shows Maurice during the
early rounds of the 100 metres. (George Herringshaw)
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