Greene predicts Britain's first sub10 second 100 at Crystal Palace
23 July 1999 – London (AP) - Maurice Greene, world record holder at 100 meters, breezed into London Thursday promising to deliver the first sub-10 seconds 100 on British soil.
Greene, who turns 25 on Friday, clocked 9.79 in Athens, Greece, last month to break the world record of 9.84 set by Canadian Donovan Bailey in 1996. And the World Champion is promising to go faster.
"I think I can go a lot faster. Right now my goal is 9.76, I feel I am capable of doing that. Once I've done that, I'll set another goal,'' he said at a London press conference. He'll be lining up against a strong field, including Bailey, at the British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on Aug. 7.
Greene said he wouldn't be chasing the world record at Crystal Palace but, considering he goes out every race planning to break 10 seconds, the British all-comers record was almost a matter of course - regardless of the weather.
``If I stick to my race pattern, I believe every time I go out on the track I can break 10 seconds, I believe I can do that on August 7,'' he said. ``Every time I go out on the track I'm going out to perform.''
The stadium record at Crystal Palace is 10.04 seconds, set by one of Greene’s training partners Jon Drummond, and it's just another bonus he wants to pick up on the way.
``I'd love to take the record off of Jon ... I'll hear all about it if I don't,'' he said.
The British GP will be Greene's last event before the World Championships in Seville, Spain, 20-29 August.
The field at Crystal Palace includes Bailey and Bruny Surin plus top British sprinters Dwain Chambers, Darren Campbell and Jason Gardner. Australia's Matt Shirvington and U.S. sprinter Tim Montgomery make up the eight.
American Marion Jones, the women's World 100 metres Champion, will make her first appearance in Britain while Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj is expected to make another assault on the world mile record he broke in Rome this month.
Greene, whose previous race in Britain was in 1994, said he's planning to use the Crystal Palace meet as a build-up to get ``fully prepared'' for his assault on the 100 and 200 events at the World Championships.
Greene said winning the world title was more important than setting world records, adding that his world record came when he concentrated more on his racing than achieving the record time.
``The thing I did last year was run after the world record, it was one thing I did wrong,'' he said.
``You can't run after world records, you have to run a world record race and let the world record come to you.''
Greene said he wouldn't be focussing on anything or anyone else until after the Championships in Seville. After that, he hinted at a head-to-head with 400 metres world No. 1 Michael Johnson similar to the made-for-TV 150-metre match up between Johnson and Bailey last year. Bailey won the 1 million dollars race after Johnson pulled up with an injury. Greene said although it wasn't in his plans now, he'd like to continue the challenge against Johnson in future.
