Greene confident he'll regain form at World Championships

SAINT-DENIS, France -- Maurice Greene has signature racing shoes designed for the World Championships. He's featured on huge billboards in Metro stations throughout Paris. He has three straight 100-meter titles.

But Greene has not sprinted competitively in six weeks, and it's been a lot longer since he won a race -- raising doubt about whether he can win a fourth straight sprint title Monday night.

Though Greene did little Thursday to explain his absence from the world track circuit this summer, he proclaimed himself 100 percent fit and said he's still the man to beat in the marquee race of the world meet.

"I like doing impressive things that people say can't be done, and I like to prove them wrong," he said two days before the championships open Saturday at the Stade de France in this Paris suburb. "I see myself going out there and winning."

Though far from somber, Greene seems to have considerably less bravado these days. His claims of being the race favorite sound somewhat hollow, as opposed to the days when his boasts intimidated opponents.

Greene has been the dominant sprinter in the world for the past few years. In addition to his three straight 100 world crowns, he is the reigning Olympic champion and held the world record for three years.

Tim Montgomery broke that record with a time of 9.78 seconds last summer in Paris. Joining Montgomery among the favorites for the world meet are European champion Dwain Chambers of Britain and U.S. champion Bernard Williams.

Greene won a race in 9.94 seconds in Los Angeles in early June, but struggled after that and took himself off the track circuit in mid-July to concentrate on training for the worlds.

"I didn't hide from anyone," he said. "My plan is preparation. It doesn't matter how many meets you run or what you've done before this time."

While Greene, 29, no longer holds the world record or an aura of invincibility, Montgomery also has struggled in recent meets.