Sprinter Greene Is Fastest for a Day

With a dramatic dash and a withering stare, Maurice Greene temporarily silenced the man who had questioned his claim as the world’s fastest human.

Greene won his semifinal heat of the men’s 100 meters at the U.S. Track and Field Championships on Friday night in 9.99 seconds. As he crossed the finish line, Greene looked over his left shoulder at Tim Montgomery, who was second in 10.13.

“Like I said, there’s been a lot of talk. Now it’s time to show what you’ve got,” Greene said.

Most of the talk has come from Montgomery, who has the fastest time in the world this year and has spent months questioning Greene’s speed. On Friday night, Montgomery paid homage to his rival.

“That was great, I would have done it to him,” Montgomery said of the stare

Of course, the two will face off again tonight in the final.

In the women’s 100, Marion Jones won her semifinal heat into a 5 mph headwind in 10.98 seconds--a quarter-second quicker than anyone else in her heat.

Chryste Gaines won the other women’s semifinal in 10.96, but she was running with a light tailwind.

The first day of the three-day national championships offered chilly conditions and strong winds.

The temperature at the start of the meet was 63 degrees, but gusty winds of 17 mph made it feel significantly colder.

Serene Ross broke her U.S. record while winning the women’s javelin with a throw of 197 feet. She had a throw of 195-8 in May.

Lance Deal, 40, who retired after the 2000 Sydney Olympics, returned to win his ninth national title in the hammer throw with a toss of 244-5.

Savante Stringfellow won the men’s long jump with a leap of 27 feet 11 inches, the best in the world this year; Brianna Glenn won the women’s long jump; Tisha Waller won her fourth national title in the women’s high jump, and Teri Steer won the women’s shotput.