Montgomery to miss Olympic 100 metres
Monday, 12 July 2004 10:19World record holder Tim Montgomery failed to make the US 100 metres team for next month's Olympics when he finished a lowly seventh in the US trials last night. With three places in Athens up for grabs, reigning Olympic champion Maurice Greene lived up to his claim of being the world's greatest sprinter by winning the race in 9.91 seconds.
Securing the other berths were former world indoor 60 metres champion Justin Gatlin, who clocked 9.92 seconds to finish second, and his training partner Shawn Crawford, third in 9.93 seconds. Coby Miller finished fourth in 9.99 seconds.
Montgomery, who has been charged with a doping offence by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), clocked 10.13 seconds. The loss came a day after Montgomery's partner, triple Olympic champion Marion Jones, failed to make the team in the women's 100 metres with a fifth-place finish.
"This is the reason I didn't win," Montgomery said to a horde of reporters chasing him away from the stadium. "I got y'all on my back ... every day." Montgomery faces a lifetime ban if found guilty of a doping offence by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but he defiantly told the media: "This ain't my last race."
The 100 metres was Montgomery's only event at the trials and he is unlikely to be selected for the 4x100 metres relay team because of his poor finish. Jones, however, will have opportunities to qualify for Athens in the long jump and 200 metres later in the trials.
Filed by Mark O'Neill-Cummins
