Maurice Greene Teleconference - USA Track & Field

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time World Outdoor gold medalist
Maurice Greene on Tuesday spoke with the media via teleconference,
discussing his upcoming season. Greene will compete on each stop of USA
Track & Field’s Indoor Golden Spike Tour, which kicks off Saturday, February
1 at the adidas Boston Indoor Games. It continues Feb. 7 at the Verizon
Millrose Games in New York and Feb. 15 at the Tyson Foods Invitational in
Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The Golden Spike Tour concludes March 1-2 at the USA Indoor Track & Field
Championships in Boston, where Greene will look to add another U.S. title to
his resume and qualify for the World Indoor Track & Field Championships
March 14-16 in Birmingham, England. Greene owns the world record indoors for
60 meters (6.39 seconds) and is the 1999 World Indoor champion in the event.

Below are excerpts from Tuesday’s teleconference.

Q. 2003 will be your first indoor season in two years, and you’ll be
starting it at home on the Indoor Golden Spike Tour. How does it feel to be
back in the U.S.?

MG: I think it’s gonna be good to be running here in the States, to stay
close to my coach. The only thing different that we’ve done this year is
train. [Greene did not train through most of the winter last year.] I’ve
always competed indoors. I always use my indoor running as a stepping stone
for my outdoors. So I’m using indoors to prepare me for outdoors.

Q. What is your state of mind going into the season?

MG: I feel a lot better this year. I’ve been training very hard this year.
It’s one of the things I needed to do to get back on track and continue my
winning ways.

Q. How’s your health?

MG: My health is great. The only thing I didn’t do last year was train.
There were no injuries, there was nothing wrong, so I’m great right now.

Q. Why didn’t you train last year?

MG: There were a lot of things I was going through - I had a couple of
deaths in the family. There were some things I hadn’t had to deal with
before.

Q. How much does wanting to get the world record back figure into your
training?

MG: I’m not going to focus my mind on the world outdoor record. I’m going to
focus on running the best races I can, and to win. That’s the most important
thing.

Q. Do you plan to break your world indoor 60m record?

MG: I’m not thinking about breaking the world record. I’m thinking about
running the best race I possibly can.

Q. What do you think about the IAAF’s new false start rule?

MG: I could care less about that new false start rule. I’m not going to
change my race just because of a rule. I’m not going to be less aggressive
because there’s a new false start rule.

Q. Did you see Shawn Crawford’s race against the zebra and giraffe [on FOX’s
“Man vs. Beast”?] What did you think?

MG: I’m not going to run against any animals.

Q. What are your plans for outdoors?

MG: To win every race that I’m in. I haven’t actually set that schedule up
just yet.

Q. What kind of shape are you in right now?

MG: I think I’m in as good of shape as I’ve been in at this time of year.

Q. Do you have any plans to run the 200 again?

MG: I will run some 200s this year.

Q. Will you double (run the 100 and 200) at World Outdoors?

MG: Yes.

Q. What will you run at U.S. nationals?

MG: Most likely, the 200 meters. But I might make a good show in the 100
meters - I might run one race in the 100, just to give the crowd a show.
[Because he is the defending world champion at 100m, Greene gets an
automatic bye to World Outdoors from the IAAF.]

Q. Do you have any time goals in the 200 this year?

MG: 19.70-seomthing would be good for me.

Q. In the 100?

MG: I will run 9.7 at least three times this year.

Q. Do you still think 9.6 is possible?

MG: Of course. That’s the ultimate goal.

Q. What was your immediate reaction when Tim Montgomery broke your world
record?

MG: I was laughing. My thing is, WRs are made to be broken. He just happened
to have one of those days when he broke my world record. … I know I can run
faster than he can. I’m glad I’m still in this sport to come back and claim
my world record. Because I still think it’s mine.

Q. Do you recognize Tim as the world record holder?

MG: I recognize him as the world record holder, but I don’t recognize him as
the world’s fastest man. When they started calling me the world’s fastest
man, it was when I won my first world title. He hasn’t won a world title or
an Olympic title.

Q. Which is more important in 2003 for you: the world record or world
championship?

MG: The World Championships title, because that’s what counts the most. I’ve
had the world record, I know I’m capable of running the WR again, but the
most important thing is the World Championships title. That’s what people
remember you for.

Q. At the 2001 World Outdoors in Edmonton, you said you tried to take your
body where it wasn’t prepared to go. Have you brought your body forward to
the point where you can run 9.75?

MG: You never can tell what your body is going to do until you get in that
situation again, so I’ll just have to wait.

Q. What is your favorite part of training?

MG: If I could just go to the meets and compete at the level I’m used to
competing at, I’d love that. The funnest thing is being with my training
partners, laughing and joking around and getting on each other’s nerves.

Q. Which is a better race for you, the 100 or 60, and why?

MG: Both are the same. I don’t change anything from my 60-meter race to my
100-meter race. I can’t say that one is better. Of course the 100 [gives him
more of an advantage]. The 100 gives you more time. In the 60, if you mess
up the start, you can possibly lose the race.

Q. Do you have a time in mind for your 60 this year?

MG: I believe it’s going to be around 6.37 or 6.36.

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