Greene, Maurice (1974-…), an American track and field star, ranks among the greatest sprinters in the history of the sport. Greene set a world record of 9.79 seconds for the 100-meter dash in 1999.
Greene won three consecutive victories in the 100-meter dash in world championship meets in 1997, 1999, and 2001. He also won the 200-meter event in the 1999 world championship meet. He became the first male athlete to hold world championship titles in both races at the same time. Greene won gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in the 100-meter dash and as the anchor runner for the United States team in the 400-meter relay.
Greene was born in Kansas City, Kansas. He began running track events at the age of 8 and was a star sprinter in high school. Greene never competed on a college track team. He first gained widespread attention by defeating the great sprinter Carl Lewis in the 100-meter event at the Texas Relays in 1995.
