Watch out, Donovan Bailey. Watch out, Michael Johnson. There’s a new sprinter in town and now he claims to be the world’s fastest man. He’s Maurice Greene, 23, and he’s not afraid of anyone. To hear him tell it, it’s the two of you who ought to be worried.
Maurice was crowned world champion in the 100-meter dash after he ran a 9.86 at the birthplace of track, Athens, Greece, in August. It was the fastest 100 of ’97 and third fastest ever, two hundredths of a second off the world record 9.84 Donovan ran at last year’s Olympics.
So, this year, Maurice and his Nike sponsors claim he owns bragging rights. Why not? Neither Donovan nor Michael, the world record holder in the 200 and 400, came out well in their own, 150-meter battle royale in June. Michael came up lame – and Donovan’s mouth ran on and on.
Fans may do well to embrace Maurice as king of speed. “I’m the fastest man right now, but I keep things in perspective,” Maurice told KidNews in an exclusive interview. “I like the way I was before I won; I don’t want to change myself.
“For me, putting a smile on someone’s face by doing what I do best is a joyous feeling. That’s why I love running. I love to see people’s reactions. I love competing for the fans-especially for young people and little kids.”
He has been that way since older brother Ernest first invited Maurice to join him and his junior high teammates for summer training.
“I would run against the older guys,” said Maurice, who was 8 then. “Our coach, Al Hobson, would give me a 10-meter head start. He’d say, `Run!’ and then tell the older guys to try and catch me. He’d tell me, `You’ve got lots of potential,’ and that really helped.
Even as a little kid he won fans. “When I was 13, I won a race and people I didn’t even know came up and started hugging me. They would tell me `Oh, I love to see you run!’ or `I’m so happy for you!’ or `Keep up the good work!’ I grew to love running for people.”
At 17, Maurice won an AAU national title. He went on to become a three-time state champion in the 100 and 200 meters at Schlagle High in Kansas City, Kan. His senior year, he swept the 100, 200 and 400 meters.
But Maurice didn’t run in college. (“I didn’t go as an athlete,” he said. “I went to study.”) Few people thought he’d ever catch up with runners who had NCAA experience.
“People would say `You’re not doing it the right way,’ ” Maurice said, “but who is to say what’s right for you? You make things right for yourself.”
Now Maurice and coach John Smith are looking for a world record. “He’s figured out how I can run 9.76,” Maurice said. Watch out, Donovan and Michael!
