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Double dip Jones, Greene give U.S. golden 100-meter duoPosted: Friday September 22, 2000 12:00 AM
SYDNEY, Australia (CNNSI.com) - Americans Marion Jones and Maurice Greene won their respective 100 meter races Saturday. Jones, who as a youngster wrote on a bedroom blackboard "I want to be an Olympic champion," got her wish on a chilly, wind-swept Saturday by winning the women's 100-meter final in 10.75 seconds. Her winning margin of .37 seconds over Ekaterini Thanou of Greece was the second biggest in Olympic 100-meter history. "It's been my dream for 19 years, and finally it's here," said a sobbing Jones, who hopes to win five gold medals in Sydney. One down, four to go. Jones had just completed a joyous, playful lap around the Olympic Stadium, waving small U.S. and Belize flags, when Greene sped to his gold medal with a time of 9.87 seconds. He then threw a shoe into the crowd, and wrapped himself in a flag. Jones' mother was born in Belize.
Greene wrapped his head in his hands after crossing the finish line, then pulled off his red-white-and-blue shoes and held them high. He threw them into the crowd and wrapped himself in a U.S. flag.
"You work four years for something that's only going to last nine seconds. It's hard to do," Greene said. "I'm overjoyed and overwhelmed and everything and just filled with joy." Jones, wearing chrome-plated shoes so shiny they looked like mirrors, went sleeveless on a cool night on which wind swirled around the sold-out 110,000-seat Olymic Stadium. After a false start by Thanou, Jones made up an early deficit to Jamaica's Tanya Lawrence and sped past the field to win by a big margin. Thanou won the silver medal in 11.12 seconds and Lawrence was third in 11.18. The only bigger winning margin in an Olympic 100-meter final, either men's or women's, was Marjorie Jackson's win by .38 over Daphne Hasenjager in 1952.
Jones' victory was the first step in what she has made a quest for five gold medals. Only one track athlete, the 'Flying Finn" Paavo Nurmi, has won that many in one Olympics. He did it in Paris 76 years ago. "It's nice to have the first one done. I don't know if it's going to be harder or easier [from now on]," she said. "I've seen a lot of Olympic Games, I've seen a lot of people cross the [finish] line and I was thinking about it.
"I was like, `There's no way. I was going to cross that line and be a cool cat. I'm going to run, I'm going to celebrate. Then when you cross that line and everything all of a sudden just hits you when you realize that you can be described as an Olympic champion, finally, it was very emotional." Jones' husband, shot putter C.J. Hunter, was all smiles as his wife circled the track. "I'm just very, very happy. That's what she likes is challenges," Hunter said. "I think this is the easiest of her events, but we're totally confident she can do anything." Merlene Ottey of Jamaica, 40, who has won two silver and five
bronze Olympic medals, just missed out this time, finishing fourth
in 11.19 in the women's 100.
Ottey recently returned after serving a one-year drug ban. She
was substituted at the last minute for teammate Peta-Gaye Dowdie --
leading to protests by some Jamaican team members.
In the men's 100, Greene defeated training partner Ato Boldon of
Trinidad and Tobago, who took silver after getting the bronze in
1996. He finished in 9.99 seconds. Obadele Thompson of Barbados was
third in 10.04.
"I knew this was a race Maurice would have to give away for
anybody else to have a chance," Boldon said. "Maurice just
destroyed us out there, to be honest."
Greene failed to qualify for the 1996 Olympics and cried while
sitting in the stands while watching the 100 final at the Atlanta
Games.
This time, he was all smiles as he crossed the finish line and
thrust his fist in the air.
"I remember crying in Atlanta," Greene said "I'm glad it's
all over. I have a lot of pressure off me and now I have other
things I want to accomplish."
Chief among those goals, Greene said, was lowering his own world
record of 9.79 seconds.
When he received his medal from International Olympic Committee
president Juan Antonio Samaranch, Greene blew kisses to the crowd.
Jones seemed to study her gold medal at first, then caressed it
as she stood on the winner's podium.
Cathy Freeman delighted the home crowd by cruising into the
semifinals of the women's 400, easily winning her heat. She is
trying to become the first Aboriginal athlete to win an Olympic
gold medal.
Michael Johnson of the United States easily won his 400
second-round heat.
Steffi Graf of Austria led the qualifiers for the women's 800
final, winning her heat in 1:57.56. Maria Mutola of Mozambique,
bronze medalist in Atlanta, won the other semifinal heat in
1:58.86.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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