Greene wins again at Millrose with eyes firmly on Sydney
4 February 2000 – New York - Maurice Greene, the world's fastest man, turned up the heat inside Madison Square Garden as the temperature dropped to below freezing outside, winning his third straight Millrose Games 60m.
Greene's time of 6.45 improved on his own Millrose record of 6.46, set two years ago, but was outside his world indoor record of 6.39.
Greene, who beat Americans Jon Drummond and Brian Lewis, said he could perhaps have taken better advantage of the meet's new state-of-the-art Mondo track if he had had lead-up race.
"Something special could have happened," said the outdoor 100m World Record holder.
Despite the new track, Greene's time was the only one of real note for the 93rd Millrose Games.
For Greene it was another stride towards his trip to Sydney for the 2000 Olympics where he has said he hopes to win three gold medals - in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
He said the quality of the field on Friday made it a tough race. "Either one of us (Drummond) could have won. I needed to stick to my racing plan. And I did it. I'm as strong as ever physically.
My main focus is to win three gold medals (in Sydney)." John Smith, who took over as his coach three years ago, has analysed and remodelled every step of Greene in the 100 meters.
Greene has also added 11 pounds of upper body muscle in his obsession to find gold in Sydney.
Drummond, the 1996 Olympic silver medallist in the 4x100 and two-time 4x100 World Champion, almost withdrew from the event saying: "I've had a terrible pain in the front of my head for three days. I do this for the people, they come to see me perform. I took some pain medicine and it made it go away. But while I was warming up, the blood got warmer and it came back. "But there ain't no stepping back once you step into the ring."
Last year's world pole vault champion Stacy Dragila, 28, said she went over the bar higher than ever before during practices in the past week, but struggled to win with 4.42m.
In the women's 60m hurdles, American Melissa Morrison, 29, won her third straight Millrose title in 7.94, which was below her best 7.87 two years ago. Last year she won in 7.99.
