This is another Maurice and Marion story.
Just like the 1997 U.S. championships. Just like the 1997 world championships.
Get used to it. There are going to be a lot of these stories between now and the 2000 Olympics. All of them likely will be filled with superlatives to describe the exploits of young U.S. track stars Maurice Greene and Marion Jones, the reigning king and queen of world sprinting.
Sunday’s Prefontaine Classic, the only major invitational track meet in the United States, was another sweet day for the M&Ms. The plural is necessary because each won two events with impressive performances.
Greene, 23, won the 100 meters in 9.79 seconds, perhaps losing a world record to a tailwind. An hour later, he smoked world record-holder Michael Johnson in the 200 meters, with a winning time of 19.88 that was slightly wind-aided.
Jones, 22, produced the world’s best long jump in four years, leaping 23 feet 11 3/4 inches. That came after she won the 100 meters in a slightly wind-aided 10.77 seconds. Only six women now have jumped farther than Jones, who still is a relative novice at the event.
“I think I can speak for Marion when I say, this is only the beginning,” Greene said. “We’re here to stay, and we’re going to be here for a long time.”
U.S. track would have a similarly bright future if every meet were run at as brisk a pace as the Prefontaine. The crowd of 13,721 on a perfect afternoon at Hayward Field saw 2 1/2 hours of non-stop action that included world season-best performances in five events–not including the wind-aided efforts of Greene and Jones.
The world-leading times came from Olympic champion Allen Johnson (13.12) of the U.S. in the high hurdles, with Reggie Torian of south suburban Markham finishing second in a personal-best 13.20; Maria Mutola of Mozambique (1:58.66) in the 800 meters; Luke Kipkoski of Kenya (13:07.83) in the 5,000 meters; and Daniel Komen of Kenya (3:50.95) in the mile.
Greene, a surprise winner of the U.S. and world titles a year ago, has spent this season reinforcing his claim to the title of world’s fastest man.
He set an indoor world record of 6.39 seconds in the 60-meter dash last winter and ran the world-leading time in the 200 meters in April. Sunday, he won the 100 over club teammate Ato Boldon of Trinidad & Tobago, who has the world-leading time at that distance this season.
The one thing that still escapes Greene is the world record of 9.84 seconds set by Canada’s Donovan Bailey at the 1996 Olympics.
“I’ll get my chance,” Greene said.
Sunday’s wind reading during the 100, 2.9 meters a second, was over the allowable 2.0 for record purposes, leaving Greene’s 9.79 to tie for the third fastest under any conditions. Only one U.S. runner, Carl Lewis, has run faster, and his 9.78 was aided by nearly double the tailwind.
“With all respect to Carl, the difference between him and Maurice is the whole evolution of sprinting,” said John Smith, who coaches Greene and Boldon. “Carl didn’t go in the weight room the way Maurice does, and Carl didn’t run 6.39. Maurice is able to run fast early and run fast long.”
The latter was apparent in the 200, where his 19.88 with a 2.1 meters per second. tailwind left Obadele Thompson of Barbados (20.17) and Olympic champion Michael Johnson (20.28) far behind.
“I wouldn’t call the third place a disappointment,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to expect you’re not going to win every race. I was just trying to figure out where I am in my training so I can get better as the season goes along.”
Jones already has personal bests in both the 100 meters (10.71) and long jump this season. In the year since she began concentrating on track, after a University of North Carolina career divided among running, jumping and basketball, she has improved her long jump by an astounding 1 foot 8 inches.
Her 23-11 3/4 Sunday was achieved with virtually no height on takeoff.
“I’m just getting out straight,” she said. “To jump 23-11 like that . . . gosh.”
