Saturday, August 21, 1999

Surin on Greene's heels in 100 qualifying heats

SEVILLE, Spain (CP) -- Maurice Greene edged Bruny Surin on
Saturday in a preview of what many expect to be the battle for the 100
metres gold medal at the world track and field championships. 
The normally uneventful quarter-finals suddenly took on significance
when Greene and Surin were placed in the same heat. Tension in
Seville's Olympic stadium was further heightened when the two men
drew lane assignments alongside each other. 
                    
Blasting out of the blocks, Greene and Surin quickly powered away
from the rest of the field. With their place in the semifinals assured,
both eased up 10 metres from the finish, the American crossing in 9.91
seconds, the day's fastest time, a stride ahead of Montreal's Surin,
who was clocked at 9.95. 
                    
While a confident and relaxed Greene smiled and played to the
hundreds of cameras as he left the track, a focused Surin refused to
talk to the media breezing past reporters. 
                    
"I haven't done anything ... not yet," said Greene. "All I can say is the
final is going to be very fast. 
"I'd love to break the record but . . ." 

But Greene is thinking about Surin. 

"For me to have a good race, I have to be in front of him or start with
him," said the world record-holder. 

Even safely out of reach in a far off corner of the interview area, Surin
was unable to hide how delighted he was with his effort, a wide grin
cutting accross the 32-year-old sprinter's face as he watched a replay
of the race. 
                    
The heat provided a glimpse of what can be expected in today's final
with Surin feeling confident. Only injured Ato Boldon of Trinidad and
Greene have clocked faster times than the Canadian this year. 
Surin began the season running an eye-opening 9.92 in Nuremberg,
Germany, then a few weeks later went under 10 seconds again,
clocking 9.97 in Athens, helping push Greene to a new world record of 9.79. 
                    
At the national championships in Winnipeg, Surin ran a wind-assisted
9.88, the fastest time ever recorded on Canadian soil. 

But Greene, the defending world champion, won't surrender his title
easily, having been beaten only once this season and going under 10
seconds on seven occasions. 
                    
Others winning their quarter-final heats Saturday were Obadele
Thompson of Barbados (10.04), Jason Gardener of Britain (10.04),
Dwain Chambers of Britain (10.08) and Namibia's Frankie Fredericks (10.09). 
                    
After narrowly advancing out of the qualification round as one of the
fastest losers, Calgary's Brad McCuaig was not as fortunate in his
quarter-final, finishing a well-beaten eighth in a poor 10.61. 

A sizzling hot opening day in southern Spain produced only lukewarm
times in the morning heats as runners looked to conserve energy with
quarter-finals later that day followed by semifinals and finals today. 
                    
But Surin, who has reached the finals in all four previous world
championships taking silver in 1995 behind fellow Canadian Donovan
Bailey, sent out an early reminder that he is among the medal
contenders, easily winning his opening heat in 10.18, the best time of
the first round. 

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