Athletics: Miller victory enhances Greene double delight

MAURICE GREENE finished the night in tears here last night as he became the first athlete to win two gold medals at these World Championships by completing the 100 and 200 metres double.

But his tears sprung forth as he acknowledged another double, hugging the equally misty-eyed figure of Inger Miller, one of his training partners, who had taken advantage of Marion Jones's absence through injury to win the women's 200m in a time that will have given even Jones pause for thought. Move over Superwoman - here comes Wonderwoman.

"Marion Jones had better watch out," said Miller after finishing six metres clear in 21.77sec, the fastest time in the world this year and only 0.01sec off Jones's best at sea level. "Because I am determined to prove it won't be a one-woman show at next year's Olympic Games. I couldn't believe it was me who was so far out in front and I had to watch the video screen afterwards just to make sure it was true."

The new world champion comes from outstanding sprinting stock - her father, Lennox, won the 100m silver medal at the 1968 Olympics behind Bob Hayes, and took a bronze at the same event in the 1972 Olympics as the Soviet Union's Valeri Borzov claimed the title.

After registering her time, Miller fell to the track and kicked her heels madly in the air. The opportunity which Jones's dramatic demise had thrown up had been seized. And celebrated. "To run in John Smith's group is like having an extended family," Miller said. "We are like brothers and sisters together."

Following Jones's collapse with a muscle spasm in the 200m semi-final, and her subsequent withdrawal from a championships where she had intended to bring home an unprecedented four gold medals, Miller showed she can win in the style the 100m champion has become accustomed to.

Greene, who retained the world 100m title on Sunday night in 9.80sec, the second fastest ever behind his own world record of 9.79, was expected to face a strong challenge from Nigeria's 20-year-old former world junior champion Francis Obikwelu, who had won his semi-final in the world's fastest 1999 time of 19.84sec.

But Greene was never seriously challenged as he won in 19.90, Brazil's Claudinei Da Silva taking silver in 20.00, and Obikwelu settling for bronze in 20.11.

With Olympic silver medallist Frankie Fredericks missing from lane two with hamstring problems, Britain's Julian Golding cut a lonely figure in the inside lane - especially with Greene in lane three. "It was frustrating having an empty lane beside me," said the 23-year-old Londoner, who finished seventh in 20.37sec, well outside his best. "I felt I still had a chance to win a medal despite the draw, but it wasn't to be." Golding's next engagement is the 4x100m relay, in which he is likely to run the anchor leg. "We'll win the relay if we get the baton round," he added.

Greene's victory had clearly been anticipated by his camp. Moments after crossing the line, he was distributing T-shirts emblazoned with the initials of his management group HSI, aka Hudson Smith International, but jokingly referred to as Handling Speed Intelligently. On this occasion, they clearly referred to Handling Shirts Intelligently.

Greene's new, commercially crafted monicker - The PhenoMonon (geddit?) - is another manifestation of a marketing operation which is making a fair shot at taking over the sprinting scene. The facts speak for themselves, however. HSI have won more medals here than all but three countries. "I've done the job I came here to do," he said. "Now the stress is gone I can go and have fun in the relay." Golding and Co beware.

Steve Backley, whose challenge for a first global title is being hampered by a knee injury, will go into tomorrow's final hoping to do what is required as quickly as possible.

"The knee was bothering me," he said after a throw of 81.68m saw him scrape through as eleventh of the 12 qualifiers. "It was as good as I could do," said the three-times European champion as he applied an ice pack to the injured part. "I'll be looking for one or maybe two throws in the final."

Johnson's new target, page 26