© Stade de France ®
Macary, Zublena et Regembal
Costantini - Architects
ADAGP - Paris - 2002
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COMPETITION  PORTRAITS |
 MAURICE GREENE HANGING ONTO HIS CROWN
By Julien Vitry
In the absence of an undisputed 100 m master, the world title quest looks more open than ever. Maurice Greene has revealed there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to clinch a 4th gold medal.
No favourite
“Being world champion is all that matters to me. Nothing, absolutely nothing else counts ”. There’s no denying that Maurice Greene is still driven by tremendous self-belief. On the sidelines this year due to niggling injuries, the holder of the 100 m title has never been so close to being toppled from his throne. He has run only five times this season, only once going below 10 seconds (9’’94 at Carson in June). Worse still, his last outing in Rome on 11th July saw him finish in a modest 3rd place in just 10’’09.
“These Championships are what I’ve been preparing for. It’s not so important how many meetings you’ve taken part in or what you’ve done before the Championships. What counts is to be here in Paris and to pull out your best performance when it really matters”, is how the American answers his detractors. But since his rise to the zenith of his profession in 1997, never has the 100 m hierarchy been in the throes of such upheaval. Just seven men have breached the 10-second threshold, none of whom can be regarded as out-and-out favourite.
Montgomery far behind the others
Great Britain’s Dwain Chambers, vaunted by many as Maurice Greene’s successor, is at pains to play down any talk of victory. “I’m not the favourite. I’m just going to try to do my best”. It might well prove enough… Since his triumph at the London meeting in ten seconds flat, the Englishmen is looking sharpest at the moment.
World 100 m record-holder Tim Montgomery, meanwhile, is no more feared by his competitors than Greene, appearing only 8th in the annual assessment of entrants to Paris 2003 Saint-Denis with a time of… 10’’04. But we are a world away from recent seasons, when everyone thought they were in with a chance of breaking the world record! “I’m happy to be here. My preparations haven’t gone well this year, but I feel ready now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come.”, he reveals. He may yet find his form at precisely the right moment. After all, it takes just one good day…
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