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Maurice Greene (sprinter)

{{short description|American sprinter (born 1974)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

|name = Maurice Greene

|image = Maurice Greene, Sydney2000.jpg

|caption = Greene after winning the 100 m event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney

|nationality = American

|birth_date ={{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1974|7|23}}

|birth_place =Kansas City, Kansas, United States

|death_date =

|death_place =

|height = {{convert|1.76|m|order=flip}}{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Maurice Greene |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/maurice-greene-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417094020/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/gr/maurice-greene-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |access-date=7 October 2019}}

|weight = 180 lb{{cite web |title=Maurice Greene |url=http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/2006/Greene_Maurice.asp |website=usatf.org |publisher=USA Track & Field |access-date=18 June 2017}}

|sport = Sprinting

|event = 100 meters, 200 meters

|collegeteam = Kansas

|medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Sport|Men's athletics}}

{{Medal|Country|the {{flagu|United States}} }}

{{Medal|Olympic}}

{{Medal|Gold|2000 Sydney|100 m}}

{{Medal|Gold|2000 Sydney|4 × 100 m relay}}

{{Medal|Silver| 2004 Athens|4 × 100 m relay}}

{{Medal|Bronze|2004 Athens|100 m}}

{{Medal|Competition|World Championships}}

{{Medal|Gold | 1997 Athens|100 m}}

{{Medal|Gold | 1999 Seville|100 m}}

{{Medal|Gold|1999 Seville|200 m}}

{{Medal|Gold |1999 Seville|4 × 100 m relay}}

{{Medal|Gold | 2001 Edmonton|100 m}}

{{Medal|Competition|World Indoor Championships}}

{{Medal|Gold|1999 Maebashi | 60 m}}

{{Medal|Competition|Goodwill Games}}

{{Medal|Gold|1998 New York City|100 m}}

{{Medal|Gold|1998 New York City|4 × 100 m relay}}

}}

Maurice Greene (born July 23, 1974) is an American former track and field sprinter who competed in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and 200 meters. He is a former 100 m world record holder with a time of 9.79 seconds. During the height of his career (1997–2004) he won four Olympic medals and was a five-time World Champion. This included three golds at the 1999 World Championships, a feat which had previously only been achieved by Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson and has since been equaled by three others.

His career was affected by several injuries from 2001 onwards, although he won the 100 meters bronze and silver in the sprint relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Greene was also successful indoors: he was the 1999 Indoor World Champion, was the world record holder in the 60-meter dash for nearly 20 years and remains the joint-fastest man over 50 meters. He raced sparingly after an injury in 2005 and officially retired in 2008. Over his career, he made the third most sub-10-second runs (52) in the 100 m, tied with Usain Bolt and only surpassed by Asafa Powell and Justin Gatlin.

Following his track career he has become an ambassador for the IAAF and a television personality, appearing on Identity, Blind Date, and Dancing with the Stars. Most recently he volunteered as a track coach at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) for the 2012–2013 season.

Since then he has become a physical education teacher at American Leadership Academy in Arizona. {{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Early life

Greene was born in Kansas City, Kansas and attended F.L. Schlagle High School. In his youth and high school, he participated in both American football and track and field. After high school, Greene received a Track scholarship to the University of Kansas. Greene also attended{{cite web |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1999/06/28/262991/gold-standard-once-going-nowhere-fast-sprinter-maurice-greene-has-found-his-stride-smashed-the-100-meter-world-record-and-set-his-sights-on-olympic-stardom |title=Gold Standard Once going nowhere fast, sprinter Maurice Greene has found his stride, smashed the 100-meter world record and set his sights on Olympic stardom |author=Layden, Tim |website=Vault |access-date=2019-09-04}} Park University and Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Sports career

=Early career and breakthrough=

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. After watching the Olympic final from the stands, Greene made his way to Los Angeles to seek the coaching of John Smith. He joined the start-up HSI group. He went on to become the group's most visible member.

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.

=World record holder and athletic prime=

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 Bailey's 50 m indoor world record time, but the run was never ratified. He also set the 60 m indoor world record twice. His 60 m indoor record is currently at 6.39 seconds. In addition, Maurice Greene was the only sprinter to hold the 60 m and 100 m world records at the same time. The previous IAAF logo was created in Greene's image.

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 rescinded. 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 to Justin Gatlin, and a silver as the anchor leg runner on the United States 4 × 100 m relay team, narrowly denied another Olympic Gold by the British team, who won by 0.01 seconds.

Greene ran 52 sub-10-second 100 m races during his career, which at the time was more than any other sprinter in history. This record has now been surpassed by Asafa Powell who has 97 100 m sub-10-second runs to his name and Justin Gatlin who has 64 100 m sub-10-second runs to his name and equalled by Usain Bolt who has the same amount of sub-10-second runs with 52.[http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/toplists/inout=O/age=N/season=0/sex=M/all=y/legal=A/disc=100/detail.html IAAF All Time 100 Metre list] 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-10s in 1999. This record was also broken by Asafa Powell in 2006 (12), and it was improved by Powell in 2008 to 15.

On December 21, 2006, he appeared as one of the "strangers" on the NBC game show Identity. The contestant, a self-professed track and field fan, incorrectly identified him by name as Marion Jones, although she identified him as the "world's fastest man."

=Post-running=

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.

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.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/sports/othersports/17track.html |title=I.A.A.F. Seeks an Explanation From Greene About Drug Allegations |author=Wilson, Duff |date=2008-04-17 |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=2016-08-19}}{{cite news |title=Maurice Greene denies link to doping scandal |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/athletics/2297315/Maurice-Greene-denies-link-to-doping-scandal.html |access-date=30 January 2018 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=14 April 2008}}

Greene was a contestant on Season 7 of Dancing with the Stars, and was paired with two-time champion Cheryl Burke. He was eliminated in Week 8 of the competition, taking 5th place.[http://kickedofftv.com/?p=130 Kicked Off TV: Maurice Greene voted off Dancing With The Stars] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212144802/http://kickedofftv.com/?p=130 |date=February 12, 2009 }} He hyperextended his leg during the competition. He later helped out in their pro-dancer competition and danced a Tango with future winner Anna Demidova. Greene also appeared on the American television series Blind Date where he was paired with a woman named Christie. Greene and Christie agreed that they would see each other again.

He has a tattoo that reads GOAT referring to his claim to be the "Greatest of All Time".{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/athens/track/2004-07-08-cover-greene_x.htm |work=USA Today |title=Greene has 'Mo'mentum |author=Weir, Tom |date=July 9, 2004 |access-date=May 12, 2010 | archive-date=June 18, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618062114/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/athens/track/2004-07-08-cover-greene_x.htm | url-status=dead}}

Media

In an event set up by ESPN's Todd Gallagher, Greene appeared in the book "Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan" racing in a 100-meter race against the book's editor, who had a 31-meter head start and the help of a moving sidewalk. Greene lost by a nose.{{cite web |url=http://postgazette.com/pg/07336/838286-155.stm/ |title=Sporting absurdity, in all its gloriosity |author=O'Neil, Brian |date=2 December 2007 |website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |access-date=2016-08-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302174441/http://postgazette.com/pg/07336/838286-155.stm/ |archive-date=March 2, 2012 |df=mdy-all}}

Maurice Greene hosted the monthly show "Greene Light" on Eurosport where he met stars of athletics, such as Blanka Vlašić, Allyson Felix and Churandy Martina.

Greene was also the cover athlete for the multi-platform video game International Track & Field 2000, which was developed by Konami.{{cite news |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/track-and-field-2000-ships/1100-2447259/ |title=Track & Field 2000 Ships |work=Gamespot |author=Kennedy, Sam |date=April 27, 2000 |access-date=2022-07-08}}

Personal bests

class=wikitable
Event

!Time

!Date

!Venue

!Notes

50 m

|5.56

|February 13, 1999

|Los Angeles, California, United States

|Tied world record (not ratified)

60 m

|6.39

|March 2, 1998

|Madrid, Spain

|Equalled in Atlanta on March 3, 2001, former world record

100 m

|9.79

|June 16, 1999

|Athens, Greece

+0.1 m/s wind, former world record
200 m

|19.86

|July 7, 1997

|Stockholm, Sweden

+1.6 m/s wind

International competitions

{{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
1995

|World Indoor Championships

|Barcelona, Spain

|4th

|60 m

1997

|World Championships

|Athens, Greece

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|100 m

rowspan=2|1998

|rowspan=2|Goodwill Games

|rowspan=2|New York City, New York, United States

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|100 m

bgcolor=gold|1st

|4 × 100 m relay

rowspan=5|1999

|World Indoor Championships

|Maebashi, Japan

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|60 m

rowspan=3|World Championships

|rowspan=3|Seville, Spain

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|100 m

bgcolor=gold|1st

|200 m

bgcolor=gold|1st

|4 × 100 m relay

Grand Prix Final

|Munich, Germany

|bgcolor=silver|2nd

|200 m

rowspan=2|2000

|rowspan=2|Olympic Games

|rowspan=2|Sydney, Australia

|bgcolor="gold"|1st

|100 m

bgcolor="gold"|1st

|4 × 100 m relay

2001

|World Championships

|Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|100 m

rowspan=2|2004

|rowspan=2|Olympic Games

|rowspan=2|Athens, Greece

|bgcolor="cc9966"|3rd

|100 m

bgcolor=silver|2nd

|4 × 100 m relay

2005

|World Championships

|Helsinki, Finland

| —

|4 × 100 m relay

|{{AthAbbr|DNF}}

National competitions

{{AchievementTable|Event=yes}}
1995

|USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

|Sacramento, California, United States

|bgcolor=silver|2nd

|100 m

1997

|USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

|Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|100 m

1999

|USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

|Eugene, Oregon, United States

|bgcolor="gold"|1st

|200 m

2000

|U.S. Olympic Team Trials

|Sacramento, California, United States

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|100 m

2001

|USA Indoor Track and Field Championships

|New York City, New York, United States

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|60 m

2002

|USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

|Palo Alto, California, United States

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|100 m

2004

|U.S. Olympic Team Trials

|Sacramento, California, United States

|bgcolor=gold|1st

|100 m

2005

|USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

|Carson, California, United States

|{{AthAbbr|DNF}}

|100 m

Meeting wins

;IAAF Golden League

;Other

Dancing with the Stars

class=wikitable

!Week

!Dance(s)/Song(s)

!Inaba

!Goodman

!Tonioli

!Result

1

|Foxtrot/"Doing it to Death"
Mambo/"I Do the Jerk"

|6
7

|6
7

|6
7

|Safe

2

|Rumba/"Mercy Mercy Me"

|7

|6

|6

|Safe

3

|Jive/"Rock Around the Clock"

|8

|8

|8

|Safe

4

|Samba/"That's the Way (I Like It)"

|6

|7

|7

|Safe

5

|Salsa/"Everything I Can't Have"

|9

|9

|9

|Safe

6

|Viennese Waltz/"Gravity"

|7

|7

|7

|Safe

7

|Cha-Cha-Cha/"Cupid Shuffle"
Team Paso Doble/"Rocks"

|8
10

|9
9

|8
10

|Safe

8
Quarter Finals

|Quickstep/"Puttin' on the Ritz"
Paso Doble/"Let it Rock"

|8
8

|8
8

|8
8

|Eliminated

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|Maurice Greene}}

  • {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121162049/http://www.adidas.com/athlete/Maurice_Greene.asp |title=adidas athletes profile |date=mdy}}
  • {{World Athletics}}
  • {{USATF}}
  • {{Team USA|new_id=maurice-greene|old_id=GR/Maurice-Greene|archive=20230206001709}}
  • {{Olympics.com profile}}
  • {{Olympedia}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-ach|rec}}

{{s-bef|before=Andre Cason}}

{{s-ttl|title=Men's 60 m World Indoor Record Holder|years=February 3, 1998 – January 20, 2018}}

{{s-aft|after=Christian Coleman}}

{{s-ach}}

{{s-bef|before=Wilson Kipketer|before2=Michael Johnson}}

{{s-ttl|title=Men's Track & Field ESPY Award|years=1999
2001–2002}}

{{s-aft|after=Michael Johnson|after2=Tim Montgomery}}

{{s-bef|before=Mark O'Meara}}

{{s-ttl|title=BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year|years=1999}}

{{s-aft|after=Tiger Woods}}

{{s-end}}

{{Footer_Olympic_Champions_100_m_Men}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 4x100 m Men|2000}}

{{Footer World Champions 100 m Men}}

{{Footer World Champions 200 m Men}}

{{Footer World Champions 4 x 100 m Men|1999}}

{{Footer World Indoor Champions 60m Men}}

{{Footer US NC 100m Men}}

{{Footer US NC 200m Men}}

{{Footer US NC Indoor 60m Men}}

{{Footer USA Track & Field 2000 Summer Olympics}}

{{Footer USA Track & Field 2004 Summer Olympics}}

{{BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Maurice}}

Category:1974 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Granada Hills, Los Angeles

Category:Sportspeople from Kansas City, Kansas

Category:Track and field athletes from Kansas

Category:Track and field athletes from Los Angeles

Category:American male sprinters

Category:African-American track and field athletes

Category:World record setters in athletics (track and field)

Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field

Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in track and field

Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics

Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships winners

Category:World Athletics Championships medalists

Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States

Category:Goodwill Games medalists in athletics

Category:Participants in American reality television series

Category:IAAF Golden League winners

Category:Kansas Jayhawks men's track and field athletes

Category:BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year winners

Category:USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners

Category:USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners

Category:World Athletics Championships winners

Category:Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games

Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen

Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen

Category:20th-century American sportsmen

Category:21st-century American sportsmen