There’s a New Sprint King

Tim Montgomery, who brashly predicted greatness for himself, suddenly quit talking this summer about becoming the world’s fastest man. But he did not quit pursuing it. On Saturday in Paris, he ran the 100 meters in 9.78 seconds to break fellow American Maurice Greene’s three-year-old world record.

Montgomery, 27, entered the IAAF Grand Prix final focused not on the record of 9.79 but on merely beating a superb field that included almost every other great sprinter in the world except for Greene, who ended his disappointing season last week and was watching from the stands at Stade Charlety.

But the conditions were optimum for fast times--the tailwind of 2.0 meters per second is maximum for record purposes--and that, combined with Montgomery’s quick start, propelled him to the mark.

Great Britain’s Dwain Chambers, who has dueled Montgomery this season for sprint supremacy, was second in 9.87, equaling compatriot Linford Christie’s European record. American Jon Drummond was third in 9.97.

“I knew I was in great shape, and everything was just perfect,” said Montgomery, a training partner of Marion Jones in Raleigh, N.C. “The wind was perfect, my reaction time [to the gun] was almost perfect. But that’s when you go out to beat world records.”

Still, he didn’t realize how special his race was until his coach, Trevor Graham, ran onto the track after the race and lifted Montgomery into the air.

The performance earned Montgomery $250,000 from the IAAF--$50,000 for winning the race, $100,000 for the world record and $100,000 for becoming the men’s overall Grand Prix champion.

Jones won $150,000 by winning the women’s 100 Saturday in 10.88 and becoming the women’s overall Grand Prix champion. But she preferred to focus on her teammate.

“Today, like everyone else in the world, I am in awe of him,” she said.

Montgomery finished second to Greene in last year’s world championships in Edmonton, Canada, and immediately began talking about supplanting him as the world’s fastest man. But when Greene beat him in this year’s national championships at Palo Alto, Montgomery said, “I’m going to stop talking.”

He did that, refusing the opportunity to boast even when Greene’s season deteriorated later in the summer after the deaths of two relatives and a feud with his shoe company, and, when Montgomery finally reached his goal Saturday he seemed as surprised as anyone.

“You know, world records always happen when you expect them the least,” he said. “I had no objective today. I just wanted to beat Dwain Chambers.”

He did that, thoroughly.

“I am traumatized by what Tim did, completely traumatized,” Chambers said. “But I’ll be back.”

So, Greene vowed, will he.

“I know I can run faster,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun next year.”

Greene said he is not disappointed to lose the record.

“It didn’t hurt at all,” he said. “I knew that I wasn’t going to die with the world record.”

As for Montgomery, Greene said, “An athlete can have a magical day and today he had a magical day. Everything clicked for him.”

Montgomery, whose personal best before Saturday was 9.84, seemed to always know that it would click some day.

“I knew I could beat the world record ever since I ran 9.96 at the age of 19 when I had no muscles, no training and no technique,” he said. “I didn’t know when, but I knew I would eventually do it.”

Montgomery apparently believes he can run even faster. His North Carolina license plate reads, “TRACK 9.75.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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World’s Fastest Men

Progression of the world record in the 100 meters:

*--* RUNNER TIME YEAR Tim Montgomery (USA) 9.78 2002 Maurice Greene (USA) 9.79 1999 Donovan Bailey (Canada) 9.84 1996 Leroy Burrell (USA) 9.85 1994 Carl Lewis (USA) 9.86 1991 Leroy Burrell (USA) 9.90 1991 Carl Lewis (USA) 9.92 1988 Calvin Smith (USA) 9.93 1983 Jim Hines (USA) 9.95 1968 Armin Hary (West Germany) 10.0 1960 Willie Williams (USA) 10.1 1956 Jesse Owens (USA) 10.2 1936 Percy Williams (CAN) 10.3 1930 Charles Paddock (USA) 10.4 1921 Donald Lippincott (USA) 10.6 1912

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