Maurice Greene (athlete)
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Medal record | |||
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Maurice Greene |
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Men's athletics | |||
Olympic Games | |||
Gold | 2000 Sydney | 100 m | |
Gold | 2000 Sydney | 4x100 m relay | |
Silver | 2004 Athens | 4x100 m relay | |
Bronze | 2004 Athens | 100 m | |
World Championships | |||
Gold | 1997 Athens | 100 m | |
Gold | 1999 Sevilla | 100 m | |
Gold | 1999 Sevilla | 200 m | |
Gold | 1999 Sevilla | 4x100 m relay | |
Gold | 2001 Edmonton | 100 m | |
World Indoor Championships | |||
Gold | 1999 Maebashi | 60 m | |
Goodwill Games | |||
Gold | 1998 New York City | 100 m | |
Gold | 1998 New York City | 4x100 m relay |
Maurice Greene (born July 23, 1974) is an American former sprinter in athletics, who holds several world records and Olympic medals. He is a former world record holder for the 100m, with a time of 9.79 seconds.
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[edit] Biography
Maurice Greene was born in Kansas City, Kansas and attended FL Schlagle High School. In his youth and high school, he participated in both football and track and field, but eventually proved to be best in the latter.
In 1995 he took part in his first major international tournament at the World Championships in Gothenburg, but was eliminated in the 100 m quarter-finals. His next season was disappointing, as he failed to make the American team for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
However, the following season would be his breakthrough. At the World Championships in Athens, Greene won the 100 m title. This marked the beginning of Greene's dominance in the 100 m. He successfully defended his title in 1999 and 2001 and captured the Olympic gold medal in the 2000 Olympics. He was also successful at the 200 m. At the 1999 World Championships, he also won the 200 m title, the first to win both sprint events at a World Championships. However, he did not run the 200 m at the 2000 Olympics after an injury at the US trials.
In 1999 he set the 100 m world record at 9.79 s (+0.1 m/s wind), beating Donovan Bailey's standing world record of 9.84 s (+0.7 m/s wind), and lowering the world record by the largest margin since the advent of electronic timing. Greene also matched Donovan Bailey's 50 m indoor world record but was never ratified as a world record. He also set the 60 m indoor world record twice. His 60 m indoor record is currently at 6.39 s. Both records still stand. In addition, Maurice Greene is the only sprinter to hold the 60 m and 100 m world records at the same time.
In 2002, Greene lost his 100 m world record to fellow American Tim Montgomery, who beat his time by 0.01 (9.78 s +2.0 m/s), while Greene himself was injured and watched the race from the stands. Montgomery has since been found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs, and his record has been retroactively disqualified. The record was broken legitimately by Asafa Powell in 2005 with a time of 9.77 s (+1.6 m/s wind).
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greene added to his medal tally with the bronze after finishing third in his attempt to defend his 100 m title, and a silver as the anchor leg runner on the United States 4x100 m relay team, narrowly denied another Olympic Gold by the British team, who won by 0.01 seconds.
Greene has run 52 sub-10 second 100 m races during his career, more than any other sprinter in history. Asafa Powell is a distant second with 33. [1]. Previously Greene had held the record for the most wind-legal sub-10 second clockings for 100 m in one season, when he ran 9 sub-10's in 1999. This record was also broken by Asafa Powell in 2006.
On December 21, 2006, he appeared as one of the, "strangers," on the NBC game show Identity. Ironically, the contestant, who is a self-proclaimed track and field fan, incorrectly identified him by name as, Marion Jones, although she correctly identified him as the "world's fastest man" (his identity description).
Greene also appeared on the TV reality show Blind Date.[1]
Greene is currently dating Claudia Jordan who holds case #1 on Deal Or No Deal.
On February 4, 2008 Greene announced his retirement from track and field in Beijing, citing nagging injuries and a wish to see new individuals succeed in the sport. Greene said he hopes to pursue coaching and business interests.[2] In April 2008, the New York Times reported that Greene had paid Mexican discus thrower Angel Guillermo Heredia $10,000, which Heredia claimed was in payment for performance enhancing drugs. Greene admitted meeting Heredia and making the payment, but claimed it was common for him to pay for "stuff" for other members of his training group, and reiterated that he had never used banned drugs.[3]
[edit] Personal bests
Date | Event | Venue | Time |
---|---|---|---|
50 m tied current world record with Donovan Bailey but not ratified | 5.56 | ||
March 2, 1998 & March 3, 2001 | 60 m current world record | Madrid & Atlanta, GA | 6.39 |
June 16, 1999 | 100 m former world record | Athens, Greece | 9.79 (+0.1 m/s wind) |
July 7, 1997 | 200 m | Stockholm, Sweden | 19.86 (+1.6 m/s wind) |
[edit] Achievements
Year | Tournament | Venue | Result | Event |
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1995 | IAAF World Indoor Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 4th | 60 m |
1997 | IAAF World Championships | Athens, Greece | 1st | 100 m |
1997 | U.S. National Championships | 1st | 100 m | |
1998 | Goodwill Games | New York City, New York | 1st | 100 m |
1998 | Goodwill Games | New York City, New York | 1st | 4x100 m relay |
1999 | IAAF World Indoor Championships | Maebashi, Japan | 1st | 60 m |
1999 | IAAF World Championships | Sevilla, Spain | 1st | 100 m |
1999 | IAAF Grand Prix Final | Munich, Germany | 2nd | 200 m |
1999 | IAAF World Championships | Sevilla, Spain | 1st | 200 m |
1999 | IAAF World Championships | Sevilla, Spain | 1st | 4x100 m relay |
1999 | U.S. National Championships | 1st | 200 m | |
2000 | 2000 Summer Olympics | Sydney, Australia | 1st | 100 m |
2000 | U.S. National Championships | 1st | 100 m | |
2001 | IAAF World Championships | Edmonton, Alberta | 1st | 100 m |
2002 | U.S. National Championships | 1st | 100 m | |
2004 | 2004 Summer Olympics | Athens, Greece | 3rd | 100 m |
2004 | U.S. Olympic Team Trials | Sacramento, California | 1st | 100 m |
[edit] Video Interview
[edit] References
- ^ Schaefer, Dave. Q&A: Olympic champion Maurice Greene on his contenders. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
- ^ http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/475644.html Sprinter Greene announces his retirement
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/sports/othersports/17track.html?ref=othersports IAAF Seeks an Explanation From Greene About Drug Allegations
[edit] External links
- IAAF profile for Maurice Greene
- Maurice Greene's U.S. Olympic Team bio
Awards | ||
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Preceded by Wilson Kipketer |
Men's Track & Field ESPY Award 1999 |
Succeeded by Michael Johnson |
Preceded by Michael Johnson |
Men's Track & Field ESPY Award 2001 – 2002 |
Succeeded by Tim Montgomery |
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Persondata | |
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NAME | Greene, Maurice |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
SHORT DESCRIPTION | America athlete, Olympic medalist |
DATE OF BIRTH | July 23, 1974 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Kansas City, Kansas |
DATE OF DEATH | |
PLACE OF DEATH |