ROME, July 10 (AFP) - Devout catholic Maurice Greenewill be praying for a quick start when he runs in thethird Golden League meeting here on Friday.
The Olympic 100 metre titleholder and three-time worldchampion was slow out of the blocks in Paris last weekand finished a disappointing third behind Deji Aliu ofNigeria and winner Bernard Williams.
Seeking his fifth straight win in Rome, Greene isdetermined to rediscover the kind of form which saw himconquer all in 1999, with the world championships inFrance just six weeks away.
``I swear that I will win the world title. I wasasleep in my blocks that’s the reason for my losshere,’’ said the 28-year-old American after defeat inFrance.
Dubbed the ‘Kansas Comet, Greene has so far beeneclipsed by former training partner and 2001 bronzeworld medallist Williams, who he faces once again at theOlympic stadium on Friday.
Also in the hunt among the sprinters are Aliu -knocking on the door of a sub-10 second time having run10 flat in Greece last month - and Australia’s PatrickJohnson, eager to prove his world-leading 9.93sec timeback in early May was not a fluke.
European champion Dwain Chambers of Great Britain, whodefeated world record holder Tim Montgomery in Glasgowlast month, is another contender in a strong line-up.
Montgomery, the current world record holder, pulledout earlier this week, to spend time with his family.The American sprinter’s girlfriend, triple Olympicchampion Marion Jones, gave birth to their first child,a baby boy, Tim Junior, on June 28.
World 5000m record holder Haile Gebrselassie will beout for revenge against Kenyan Abraham Chebii, who edgedthe 30-year-old Ethiopian last week.
Chebii’s electrifying late burst was unanswered by’Gebr’, who had been worried about losing some of hisspeed after stepping up to run the marathon, in what washis first 5000m in three years.
Gebrselassie has other young pretenders to worry aboutin the shape of compatriot Kenenisa Bekele, who couldwell take him on for the world 10,000 metres title inParis in August, and Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, third inOslo with a new world junior record of 12min 52.61sec.
Meanwhile, Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj, the worldrecord holder over 1500m, 2000m and the mile, races against in-form KenyanWilliam Chirchir in the 1500m.
The 400m hurdles world champion Felix Sanchez, whostrolled to his 20th successive win in Paris despitecomplaining of tiredness, renews hostilities withveteran Frenchman Stephane Diagana, who was absent lastweek.
Big names in the women’s competition include Olympic5000m champion Gabriela Szabo, who last week ran thebest time in the world this year in the 3000m, and Mozambique’s Maria Mutola, who runs in the800m.
The Golden League is made up of Europe’s six biggestsingle day athletics meetings of the summer andculminates in the two day Grand Prix finals in Monaco inSeptember.
It was introduced in 1998 to unify individual Europeanmeetings and attract the biggest names in athletics.
A million dollar’s worth of gold is awarded to anyathlete who wins their event in all six Golden Leaguemeetings and just turns up at the Grand Pprix finals.
If there is more than one winner the prize is shared.
Last year the jackpot was split between four athletes- Jones, El Guerrouj, Sanchez and Ana Guevara.
Only two athletes are still in contention this year,Mutola and revitalised Bahamas sprinter Chandra Sturrup,who runs in the womens 100m.