INDIANAPOLIS – Olympic gold medalist and 100 meter world record holder Maurice Greene on Thursday announced that he will open his U.S. season by competing at the 2002 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Palo Alto, California, June 21-23. The announcement came during a USATF media teleconference.

The final event of this year’s USATF Outdoor Golden Spike Tour, the USA Outdoor Championships will be televised from 5:30-7:00 p.m., June 23 on ESPN2.

“It’s going to be great,” Greene said. “I think running in the United States is a lot of fun. It’s going to be very exciting.”

A two-time national 100 meter champion and the 1999 U.S. Outdoor 200m champ, Greene has yet to determine which event(s) he will compete in at the 2002 USA Outdoor Championships.

Greene won his third 100 meter World Outdoor title last year in Edmonton, Canada, in the fastest time in the world in 2001 of 9.82 seconds, the third-fastest time in history. Greene won the race in Edmonton despite pulling his left quadriceps muscle late in the race. He ended the season ranked #1 in the world in the 100 meters by Track & Field News for the fourth consecutive year.

Below are excerpts from today’s USATF media teleconference with Maurice Greene. To listen to an audio replay of the teleconference, visit www.usatf.org.

Q: What kind of shape are you in?

A: I think I’m in good shape in this point in the season. It’s going to be a long year, because we don’t have any major championships and we just have races. I’m scheduled to do the Golden League races (seven races in Europe) – that’s quite a bit for my body. So it’s going to be a long season.

Q: In a non-championship year, what sort of goals do you set for yourself?

A: My goals are simple. To go undefeated for the year and to break my world record.

Q: Do you think you can break your WR this year?

A: Of course.

Q: Your race in Edmonton (where he won his third world championship at 100m) was a gutsy one. Where is the improvement going to come to break the record again?

A: At Edmonton, I got hurt at about 60 meters in that race. If I would have been able to finish that race, it would have been an unbelievable time. If I had been able to finish that race, who knows what my time would have been?

Q: What’s going on between you and Tim Montgomery?

A: There’s nothing going on between us. There’s a lot going on with him, I think.

Q: Do you think Tim is trying to create a rivalry with you?

A: I don’t think he’s trying to create one – there is one. He was second in the World Championships, and he’s going after something he wants. There is a rivalry there, but do I worry about him? No.

Q: Does that (rivalry with Tim Montgomery) motivate you?

A: Of course.

Q: Do you need any motivation?

A: At a time like this, you need a little extra motivation. So this is motivating me to go out and dominate like I have been doing.

Q: Any 200s this year?

A: I plan on running some 200s. It helps me get in shape. John (Smith, his coach) is talking about making me run the 200 at nationals.

Q: Have you had any further trouble with your leg, and are you able to train as intensely?

A: Actually, I took a long time off and I didn’t come back to practice until January of this year. That’s why it’s taken me so long this year. My calf cramped up in Doha, but I feel good and I think I’m ready to run.

Q: Because you started training later in the year, are there things you are doing differently?

A: No, we’re just working on real specific movement right now. My hand position – I have to relax my hands; toe positioning.

Q: What makes you say that you expect to break your world record this year?

A: I took off a lot more time than normal just to let my body heal. I have no more tendonitis problems, my quad muscle is fine. I know what I’m capable of doing. I know what I did last year. And I know if I stay healthy, I can break my world record.

Q: This year is a stepping stone for Worlds (in 2003) and Olympics (2004). Have you decided what you want to do?

A: Most definitely I will repeat the 100m in both. I don’t know about the 200, though. The 200 doesn’t thrill me as much as the 100. But I’m a good 200 meter runner, so who knows what will happen.

Q: What is the potential ceiling for the 100m?

A: Well I told my coach, John Smith, that when I run 9.6 I will retire. I think that’s why the Lord didn’t let me finish that race last year. He didn’t want me to retire. You can believe it or not.

Q: You’ve been ranked #1 for a number of years. What is the toughest and most satisfying part of doing that?

A: The toughest thing is to stay #1. The most satisfying thing is to do it. I always said you must train like you’re #2. It’s hard to get to the top, but it’s harder to stay at the top.

Q: Tim (Montgomery) said he thinks you’re the best 100m runner of all time. Who do you think is the best 100m sprinter of all time?

A: It’s hard to say. Carl Lewis’ name still comes up – I don’t think I’ve erased that yet.