Greene ends his season with victory in Japan
Tokyo (AP) _ Maurice Greene, triple-gold winner in the IAAF World Championships last month, jogged home in 10.35 seconds to win the men's 100 meters Wednesday in the 12th annual Super Track and Field Meet.
The world-record holder from Kansas City edged fellow American Curtis Johnson, who was second in 10.40 seconds with China's Yin Hanzhao third in 10.56.
Asia's fastest sprinter, Koji Ito of Japan, placed fifth in 10.69.
"It's tough because of the wind," Greene said of the race held as a typhoon was approaching Tokyo and elsewhere in central Japan. "Without the wind, I believe I could have run a lot faster."
The 1999 track season was just great, he said. "I am happy I had a very good year."
On his next goal, Greene said: "My main focus is to win the Olympic gold. That comes first, not a record. Right now, I have a goal of 9.76 and the coach said I am capable of running faster but I take small steps at a time. The most important is to win the Olympic gold. That's something I haven't done and I want to do."
"This is a dream come true," he said on his status as the world's fastest runner. "Now I can say I was a No. 1 once. Records are made to be broken and anything can happen in a 100-meter. I am thankful and try to be the best. I believe I am the best and as long as I keep believing in myself, I can improve myself."
Greene said he's going home from Tokyo to take some rest, looking back on the good season, and visiting his grandmother in Kansas, who turns 97 on Sept. 27th. He said he plans a big party.
In the 100-meter hurdles, American Larry Wade edged world-record holder Colin Jackson with a time of 13.50 seconds. Jackson placed second in 13.55 seconds with Japan's Satoru Mizuno third in 13.95.
"I feel great," Wade said. "This is my first time in Japan. For me, to beat Colin makes me really feel good. I raced against him seven times and beat him four times."
Kazuhiko Yamazaki of Japan won the 400-meter hurdles in 48.98 seconds, followed by Joey Woody who finished second in 49.16. His American compatriot Torrence Zellener was third in 49.21.
"I was running against a headwind in the first half. It was a bad condition," said Yamazaki. "I want to win in Sydney next year."
American Kelly Suttle jumped 4.20 meters to win the women's pole vault. Japan's Masumi Ono was second with 4.00 meters and her fellow citizen Takayo Kondo placed third also with 4.00 meters.
Bulgarian Petya Pendareva swept the 100- and 200-meter races.
Pendareva took the 200 meters in 23.27, edging Japan's Motoka Araki at 23.80, before winning the 100 meters in 11.36 seconds, ahead of Susanthika Jayasinghe of Sri Lanka who clocked 11.53.
Leading results
Men
100 metres (-2.9): 1. Maurice Greene (USA) 10.35; 2. Curtis Johnson (USA) 10.40; 3. Yin
Hanzhao (CHN) 10.56
200 metres (-5.7): 1. Tony McCall (USA) 21.08; 2. Kevin Little (USA) 21.38; 3. Hideki
Ishizuka (JPN) 21.47
400 metres: 1. Antonio Pettigrew (USA) 46.08; 2. Alejandro Cardenas (MEX) 46.13; Takahiko
Yamamura (JPN) 46.75
1500m: 1. Driss Maazouzi (FRA) 3:46.54; 2. Kazuyoshi Tokumoto (JPN) 3:47.10; 3. Alistair
Stevenson (AUS) 3:47.22
5000m: 1. James Wainaina (KEN) 13:56.88; 2. Kagika Laban (KEN) 13:57.01; 3. Jun Hiratsuka
(JPN) 14:16.25
110m hurdles (-3.4): 1. Larry Wade (USA) 13.50; 2. Colin Jackson (GBR) 13.55; 3. Satoru
Tanigawa (JPN) 13.95
400m hurdles: 1. Kazuhiko Yamazaki (JPN) 48.98; 2. Joey Woody (USA) 49.16; 3. Torrence
Zellener (USA) 49.21
High jump: 1. Takahisa Yoshida (JPN) 2.24m; 2. Lee Jin-taek, (KOR); 2.24m; 3. Yoshiteru
Kaihoko (JPN) 2.20m
Long jump: 1. James Beckford (JAM) 8.22m (+2.2); 2. Kareem Streete-Thompson (CAY) 8.16m
(+3.3); 3. Huang Le (CHN) 8.05m (+2.9)
Women
100 metres (-3.0) 1. Petya Pendareva (BUL) 11.36; 2. Susanthika Jayasinghe 11.53;
3. Nokota Arai (JPN) 11.61
200 metres (-2.3): 1. Petya Pendareva (BUL) 23.27; 2. Motoka Arai (JPN) 23.80; 3. Sakie
Nobuoka (JPN) 24.48
400 metres: 1. Kazue Kakinuma (JPN) 55.76; 2. Mariko Miura (JPN) 56.01; 3. Miho Sugimori
(JPN) 56.05
5000m: 1. Yoshiko Ichikawa (JPN) 15:59.59; 2. Anne Wamucii (KEN) 16:00.62; 3. Michiyo Ando
(JPN) 16:02.04
100m hurdles (-1.9): 1. Yvonne Kanazawa (JPN) 13.51; 2. Melissa Morrison (USA) 13.55; 3.
Akiko Morimoto (JPN) 13.79
High jump: 1. Yoko Ota (JPN) 1.90m; 2. Antonella Bevilacqua (ITA) 1.85m; 3. Miyuki Aoyama
(JPN) 1.75m; 3. Chinami Sadahiro (JPN) 1.75m; 3. Hang Liwen (CHN) 1.75m
Pole vault: 1. Kelly Suttle (USA) 4.20m; 2. Masumi Ono (JPN) 4.00m; 3. Takayo Kondo (JPN)
4.00m; 3. Nastia Rysikh (GER) 4.00m
Discus: 1. Yuka Murofushi (JPN) 52.47m; 2. Mari Takama (JPN) 50.86m; 3. Tomiko Kageyama
(JPN) 49.78m
