Greene Is Ready for Record Runs

The world’s fastest man took it slow for five months. But Maurice Greene, refreshed and no longer plagued by tendinitis or leg injuries, said Thursday he’s ready to renew his assault on track’s record books.

Greene, the Sydney Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion in the 100 meters, said he will compete in a Grand Prix meet at Athens on June 10, in seven Golden League meets in Europe and in the U.S. outdoor championships next month in Palo Alto. He’s considering doubling in the 200 at the U.S. championships.

“My plans are simple: to go undefeated for the year and to break my world record,� said Greene, who set the world record of 9.79 seconds in 1999. “I’ve been No. 1 in the world since ’97. I needed that long break. I know what I’m capable of doing and I know what I did last year.�

Greene won the 100 at last year’s world championships in 9.82 seconds, the third-fastest time ever, despite injuring his left quadriceps muscle 60 meters into the race. He wonders if he might have broken the record that day if he hadn’t had to pull up.

“I told my coach, John Smith, when I run 9.6 I will retire,� Greene said. “That’s why the Lord didn’t let me finish that race [injury-free]. He doesn’t want me to retire.�

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Olympic 400-meter champion Cathy Freeman of Australia, who hasn’t competed since the Sydney Games, canceled her European summer schedule to be with her husband while he undergoes cancer treatments. Freeman said her husband, Sandy Bodecker, has a tumor in his mouth.