Greene expects close sprint final in London
Source: AFP |
June 28, 2012, Thursday
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MAURICE Greene, the 2000 Olympic 100-meter champion, sees Usain Bolt as "dangerous" but not as fit as in record-breaking year in 2008, but nevertheless expects a dramatic 100-meter final at the London Olympics.
Two days after 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin and 2007 world champion Tyson Gay booked their berths in the 100m for London for an expected showdown with reigning Olympic and world champion Bolt, Greene sized up the men who followed in his footsteps.
"The race in London is going to be a lot closer than a lot of people think," Greene said in Eugene, Oregon. "It's going to be a really exciting race."
Greene, who turns 38 next month, said he does not see Bolt lowering his world record of 9.58 seconds from Berlin in 2009. "I'm going to tell you right now, he can't do that," Greene said.
Greene, a US sprint legend whose nickname was the "Kansas Comet", is proof that an Olympian can match his time from four years earlier, however. Greene won gold at Sydney in 9.87 and took bronze in 2004 at Athens in the same time.
"He has done it before so you have to prepare accordingly," Greene said. "If you want the gold, you have to be prepared to go to that area."
Bolt will not lack motivation at London simply because he has already won the Olympic gold, according to Greene. He cited Bolt's false start disqualification at last year's 100m world final as enough inspiration to make him a foe to fear in London. "Usain is talking about his legacy," Greene said. "He wants to prove he should have won when he was knocked out. I don't think he would have won. I know when someone has something to prove, he is dangerous.
"I look at people. I analyze their races. He hasn't shown to me to be in that type of shape that he was in 2008," Greene said. "If he is in that kind of shape he's going to win. I don't think he's in that kind of shape. He's having problems from zero to 65 (meters). From there to the finish, that's just him. You have to be with him at 70."
Bolt owns the fastest times in the world this year - 9.76 to win in Rome last month and 9.79 to win at Oslo earlier this month.
Greene, who held the world record at 9.79, does not favor the chances of either US runner against Bolt, but he notes Gay is coming off right hip surgery last year that allowed him to return only this month after nearly a year off.
Two days after 2004 Olympic champion Justin Gatlin and 2007 world champion Tyson Gay booked their berths in the 100m for London for an expected showdown with reigning Olympic and world champion Bolt, Greene sized up the men who followed in his footsteps.
"The race in London is going to be a lot closer than a lot of people think," Greene said in Eugene, Oregon. "It's going to be a really exciting race."
Greene, who turns 38 next month, said he does not see Bolt lowering his world record of 9.58 seconds from Berlin in 2009. "I'm going to tell you right now, he can't do that," Greene said.
Greene, a US sprint legend whose nickname was the "Kansas Comet", is proof that an Olympian can match his time from four years earlier, however. Greene won gold at Sydney in 9.87 and took bronze in 2004 at Athens in the same time.
"He has done it before so you have to prepare accordingly," Greene said. "If you want the gold, you have to be prepared to go to that area."
Bolt will not lack motivation at London simply because he has already won the Olympic gold, according to Greene. He cited Bolt's false start disqualification at last year's 100m world final as enough inspiration to make him a foe to fear in London. "Usain is talking about his legacy," Greene said. "He wants to prove he should have won when he was knocked out. I don't think he would have won. I know when someone has something to prove, he is dangerous.
"I look at people. I analyze their races. He hasn't shown to me to be in that type of shape that he was in 2008," Greene said. "If he is in that kind of shape he's going to win. I don't think he's in that kind of shape. He's having problems from zero to 65 (meters). From there to the finish, that's just him. You have to be with him at 70."
Bolt owns the fastest times in the world this year - 9.76 to win in Rome last month and 9.79 to win at Oslo earlier this month.
Greene, who held the world record at 9.79, does not favor the chances of either US runner against Bolt, but he notes Gay is coming off right hip surgery last year that allowed him to return only this month after nearly a year off.
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