Maurice Greene.

Maurice Greene. Maurice Greene, born in 1974, American track-and-field athlete who set the world record in the 100-meter dash in 1999 and won two gold medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Greene has more sub-10-second times in the 100 meters than any American in history. Greene was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and followed his older brother into track and field when he was eight years old. Mentored by a veteran coach in the area, Greene won state titles in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes for three straight years in high school. He nearly pursued a college football career but changed his mind, running track for a local club while attending several area colleges. In 1994 Greene qualified for his first major international meet, finishing fourth at the Indoor World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. The next year he achieved a personal dream when he beat legendary American sprinter Carl Lewis and won the 100 meters at the Texas Relays. Greene was bothered by repeated hamstring injuries, however, which prevented him from qualifying for the 1996 Olympic Games. Bitterly disappointed, Greene thought about quitting the sport. Instead, he rededicated himself and moved to Los Angeles, California, to train with coach John Smith. Smith changed Greene's mechanics and reshaped his race strategy. At the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece, Greene won the gold medal in the 100 meters with a time of 9.86 seconds, .02 seconds short of the world record. By 1998 he was the world's top-ranked sprinter in the event and also held the indoor world record in the 60-meter dash. He added the 50-meter indoor world record in 1999. In June 1999, at a meet in Athens, Greece, Greene blazed to a time of 9.79 seconds, shattering the world record held by Donovan Bailey of Canada. Two months later at the World Championships in Spain, Greene captured gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter races and the 4 x 100-meter relay. He became the first man to win both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at one world championship. Greene's top personal goal had always been an Olympic gold medal. At the Sydney Games in September 2000, Greene reached his goal, winning the gold with a time of 9.87 seconds. He then ran the final leg of the relay to earn a second gold medal. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.