Maurice Greene was the greatest 100m sprinter of his generation, winning a hat-trick of world titles for the distance (1997-2001) and the 2000 Olympic 100m crown. A former world record-holder and 1999 world 200m champion, the US speedster reflects on the greatest challenge he has faced during his time in the sport and beyond.
<h3>&lsquo;Remaining the man I always was&rsquo;</h3>
&ldquo;My greatest challenge was continuing to be myself throughout my career. I don&rsquo;t believe I changed, even though I earned some notoriety and fame (through his success). Sometimes you see athletes or movie stars reach a certain status and they become stand-offish and a little separated. I saw the way some of them acted like you could no longer approach them. I said to myself, if, one day, I become something, I&rsquo;ll never be that way.&nbsp;
&ldquo;For me, it was important to continue to be that fun-loving, hard-working person I always was.
&ldquo;Was it hard? Well, it was important to stay grounded. I always held on to the belief that all this could one day be gone and that if that happened then the people you see on the way up you are going to see again on the way back down.
&ldquo;I always make sure I treat people the same as me. I don&rsquo;t believe I made them feel like they were any less then equal. I always remembered the importance of respecting your fans and taking the time out to speak with them.
&ldquo;For sure, this was something instilled into me by my parents growing up.&nbsp; They always said nothing comes for free, you have to work at everything you get.
&ldquo;Throughout my career I never allowed anything to disrupt my training &ndash; that was always the priority, but I felt I always thought of others before myself.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very proud of remaining the man I always was. I gave people a sense of who I really was. I still think I have kept that to this day.&rdquo;
Steve Landells for the IAAF

Maurice Greene was the greatest 100m sprinter of his generation, winning a hat-trick of world titles for the distance (1997-2001) and the 2000 Olympic 100m crown. A former world record-holder and 1999 world 200m champion, the US speedster reflects on the greatest challenge he has faced during his time in the sport and beyond.

My greatest challenge – Maurice Greene

- Read on for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisLong before she became an Olympic champion or set 14 national records, Jenn Suhr remembers the first time she was asked to pole vault."I was like, 'Oh no way. I'm not doing that. You've got to be crazy to do that'," laughed the 32-year-old Olympic champion. "I was scared of it."The US vaulter and some of her peers – 2008 Beijing Olympic teammate April Steiner Bennett, former New York state high school champion Janice Keppler, 2013 US junior champion Meghan Clark and Greece’s former world youth champion Ekaterini Stefanidi – took to Herald Square, in front of the famous Macy's flagship store and in the shadow of the Empire State Building in the heart of bustling Manhattan, to demystify the highest-soaring discipline in athletics on Wednesday (11).They then teamed with some champion sprinters to also expose the next generation to elements of the sport and the benefits that could be gained from living a healthy lifestyle.All five women, as well as Jamaica's Yohan Blake, the 2011 world 100m champion, as well as the USA’s Maurice Greene, a four-time Olympic medalist and five-time world champion, took time to serve as coaches and mentors during a demonstration of IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics."Nestlé is proud to partner with the IAAF to put on an event that can help empower children to lead healthier lives, right here in New York City," said Chavanne Hanson, wellness champion for Nestlé USA. "We were delighted to have with us world-renowned athletes who have encouraged and motivated our children to embrace an active lifestyle." The kids, from local schools in New York, were split into six teams and took part in a competition of about 50 minutes. This series of activities – knee throwing, overhead throwing, sprint/shuttle hurdles relay, ladder running, forward squat jump, cross hop, and an eight-minute endurance run – covered the core skills of athletics: running, jumping and throwing."I think we should have more programs like we are doing today to show the kids a good time and teach them about what it takes to be in this sport because I believe they are the future," commented an enthusiastic Blake. "To tell you the truth, we didn’t have anything like this when I was growing up. Right now, I am 24 and I started my own program in Jamaica to help kids get started and to develop them." For many of the children, it was an opportunity to participate in a sport that might not always be the popular choice, particularly in the US where team sports such as American football, basketball, soccer and baseball are the prime attractions.<div class="quote">"I encourage kids to just try it (athletics)," said Suhr. "It might not even be pole vault. It could be long jump. It could be another event. But you never know until you try so you've got to go out there and try new things. </div>Getting to interact with the kids, mostly aged 9 and 10, struck a particular chord with Stefanidi, who was herself standing in those same shoes not long ago and could see contrasts in how children are exposed to the sport in Europe, as opposed to the US."Every country is different," said the 24-year-old Stefanidi, who is now based in the US. "Europe is a lot more focused. I started vaulting when I was 10. I went to World Youths when I was 14 and to World Juniors when I was 17.&nbsp; I think what the US needs is something more like what Europe has, more focused coaches, specializing earlier. But then again, the US has something that Europe does not have in kids being able to try all of the events and figuring out what they are really good at."The beauty of athletics, according to Steiner Bennett, is that it can afford opportunities to children of all abilities and walks of life."You have all different shapes, sizes and talents in track and field," she said. "Being such a diverse sport, it is a lot of fun for us to share it with people."Steiner Bennett, who is a physical education teacher and coach when not competing, was thrilled to see so many kids outside and moving, the opposite of which has contributed to the global childhood obesity epidemic."There is a very sedentary lifestyle right now," the 34-year-old said. "Kids are growing up in cement villages, literally in New York, but even in suburbia. Things are all fenced in and kids don’t go out in the streets to play because parents fear their kids are going to be kidnapped or something bad is going to happen. Letting the kids participate in something like this lights their fire. It's fun. I love seeing them try all of these different activities. "<div class="quote">Blake agreed. "It is important to start them at a tender age and get them outside. Obesity is a problem and keeping their cholesterol down and them in shape is important. This will also help them grow, not only in track and field but in different sports as well." </div>According to Greene, perhaps the most crucial message of the day was that physical activity is enjoyable."Of course it is important to get kids moving, but it was also a lot of fun," said Greene. "The kids got introduced to the sport by some of its stars so it is a great thing to be involved with. The whole thing is that you want the kids to have fun doing it so that they can continue on with it."Universally, it seemed the children most enjoyed running the shuttle hurdles."The hurdles were what I was looking forward to most," Zoe Maidemen, a 9-year-old from Brooklyn said. "I have a 7-year-old brother that I hurdle over all the time."Isaiah Thompson and his teammate Michael Alves both chose the hurdles as their favourite event because of the barriers themselves."We get to jump over them," each said.For Michael Rodriguez-King, a nine-year-old from Westchester, the hurdles were a welcomed change of pace."I normally run the 800m and 1500m," he said. "The hurdles were new for me since I haven't done them before. Maybe I will become a hurdler one day."According to Blake, that was the whole purpose of the day. "I enjoyed encouraging the kids so when they left today, they are okay in thinking, 'I want to do track and field. I want to do some kind of sport. I want to make it big,'" he said. "Coach (Glen) Mills taught me that when you put your first foot forward and you believe, anything is possible."IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics demonstration is one of the lead-in promotions to the adidas Grand Prix, the sixth leg of the 2014 IAAF Diamond League which takes place on Saturday 14 June in Icahn Stadium, Randall's Island, New York.IAAF Kids’ Athletics | Nestlé Healthy Kids, the flagship development project of the IAAF’s School / Youth program, is one of the biggest grassroots development programs in the world of sports. The Nestlé Healthy Kids program aims to raise nutrition, health and wellness awareness and promote physical activity among school-aged children around the world. The program reached more than 6.9 million children in 68 countries in 2013.Nestlé, which is the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company with 339,000 employees worldwide, became the main sponsor of Kids’ Athletics in January 2012 agreeing a five-year sponsorship with the IAAF.The IAAF’s objectives for Kids’ Athletics, which has so far been activated in more than 130 of the IAAF’s 212 national Member Federations worldwide, are to make athletics the number one participation sport in schools, promoting a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and attracting the potential sports stars of tomorrow.Joe Battaglia for the IAAF*****Kids’&nbsp;Athletics de l’IAAF / Nestlé&nbsp;en démonstration au cœur de Manhattan Jenn Suhr n’est pas près d’oublier la première fois qu’on lui a demandé de s’essayer au saut à la perche, la discipline dans laquelle elle deviendrait championne olympique et battrait 14 records nationaux&nbsp;:“Je me souviens avoir alors refusé tout net - j’avais vraiment peur de me lancer !” dit Suhr, 32 ans, qui a remporté la médaille d'or olympique lors de Londres 2012. L’Américaine était présente, aux côtés de quatre autres perchistes - sa coéquipière aux Jeux olympiques de Pékin en 2008, April Steiner Bennett, l’ancienne championne lycéenne de l’état de New York, Janice Keppler, la championne junior des USA 2013, Meghan Clark, et l’ancienne championne du monde cadette grecque Ekaterini Stefanidi – pour une compétition / démonstration organisée sur le parvis de Herald Square, devant le célèbre magasin Macy's et à l’ombre de l’Empire State Building au cœur d’un Manhattan en pleine effervescence. L’objectif de cette manifestation ce mercredi (11) était notamment de démystifier aux yeux du grand public la discipline la plus élevée de l’athlétisme.Les compétitrices ont ensuite rejoint des sprinters de premier plan pour présenter à la génération de demain différentes facettes de l’athlétisme et les bénéfices que peut procurer un mode de vie sain. Les cinq perchistes, ainsi que le Jamaïcain Yohan Blake, champion du monde du 100m en 2011 IAAF, et l’Américain Maurice Greene, quadruple médaillé olympique et quintuple champion du monde, ont en effet endossé le rôle d’entraîneurs et mentors au cours d’une démonstration de Kids’ Athletics IAAF / Nestlé."Nestlé est fier d’être en partenariat avec l’IAAF pour organiser des manifestations telles que celle-ci, qui donnent aux enfants une opportunité de voir comment il leur est possible de mener des vies plus saines, ici au cœur même de New York, a expliqué Chavanne Hanson, responsable de la division Bien-Etre pour Nestlé USA. Nous avons été ravis d’avoir avec nous des athlètes aussi renommés, qui ont encouragé et motivé nos enfants à mener un style de vie actif." Les enfants, élèves d’écoles new-yorkaises toutes proches, étaient répartis en équipes de six pour prendre part à une compétition d’environ 50 minutes.La série d’activités&nbsp;–&nbsp;divers lancers, relais avec franchissement de haies, courses avec échelles à&nbsp; terre, sauts en longueur à pieds joints, sauts à cloche-pied, et une course d’endurance de huit minutes – englobe les techniques de base de l’athlétisme, à savoir les lancers, les sauts et la course à pied."Je pense qu’il devrait exister plus de programmes tels que celui que nous organisons ici aujourd’hui, d’abord parce que les enfants y prennent tant de plaisir bien sûr, mais aussi parce que cela nous permet de leur montrer ce dont ils ont besoin pour s’adonner à ce sport. Je pense vraiment qu’ils sont notre avenir, a commenté un Blake visiblement enthousiaste. Il n’existait rien de tel lorsque moi j’étais à l’école. À présent, j’ai 24 ans et j’ai mis sur pied mon propre programme chez moi, en Jamaïque, pour aider les enfants à se mettre au sport et pour contribuer à leur développement."Pour beaucoup des enfants présents, il s’agissait là d’une opportunité de participer à un sport qui n’est peut-être pas toujours leur premier choix, particulièrement aux USA, où ce sont principalement les sports collectifs tels que le football américain, le baseball, le basketball et le football, qui se révèlent les plus populaires. "J’encourage toujours les enfants à s’essayer à l’athlétisme, dit Suhr. Et je ne parle pas uniquement de la perche. Ce peut être la longueur, ou autre chose. Mais on ne sait jamais ce qui va nous plaire avant d’essayer, donc il est important de tester toutes sortes de choses différentes.” Stefanidi a aussi pris beaucoup de plaisir à&nbsp; être au contact des enfants, âgés pour la plupart de neuf ou dix ans, d’autant plus qu’elle se trouvait elle-même dans leur situation il n’y a pas si longtemps, et qu’elle est bien consciente du contraste qui peut exister entre les différentes manières dont les jeunes sont exposés au sport en Europe et aux Etats-Unis. "Chaque pays est différent, a expliqué Stefanidi, 24 ans, désormais basée aux USA. “En Europe, les choses sont beaucoup plus focalisées. Ainsi, moi, j’ai commencé à sauter à la perche dès l’âge de dix ans. Je suis allée aux Championnats du monde Cadets à 14 ans, puis aux Mondiaux Juniors à 17 ans. Je pense que ce qu’il faudrait aux Etats-Unis, ce serait d’avoir quelque chose ressemblant plus à ce qu’on connaît en Europe, avec des entraîneurs dédiés à des disciplines précises et des athlètes se spécialisant plus tôt. “D’un autre côté, on sait aussi que les US ont quelque chose que n’a pas l’Europe, et c’est qu’ils offrent aux enfants la possibilité d’essayer toutes sortes de disciplines, leur permettant ainsi de trouver les domaines dans lesquels ils peuvent exceller."La beauté&nbsp;de l’athlétisme, selon Steiner Bennett, est qu’il offre des opportunités aux enfants de toutes capacités et de toutes origines. "En athlétisme, toutes les tailles et tous les gabarits sont représentés, a-t-elle souligné. Le fait que ce soit un sport aussi diversifié nous permet de vraiment prendre beaucoup de plaisir à le partager avec tout le monde.”Steiner Bennett, qui est enseignante d’éducation physique et entraîneur lorsqu’elle n’est pas en compétition, était ravie de voir tant d’enfants s’adonner à des activités physiques en plein air, soit l’exact contraire de ce qui a contribué à l’épidémie mondiale d’obésité enfantine que l’on connaît actuellement. "La vie aujourd’hui est très sédentaire, a ajouté Bennett, 34 ans. "Les enfants vivent et grandissent entourés de béton, littéralement bien sûr ici à New York, mais dans les banlieues aussi. Il y a des murs et des barrières partout, et les enfants ne sortent plus jouer dans la rue parce que leurs parents ont peur qu’ils ne soient enlevés ou que quelque chose leur arrive. Permettre aux enfants de prendre part à des activités ludiques telles que celles-ci les stimule vraiment. C’est fabuleux à voir."Blake a abondé en ce sens, disant&nbsp;: "Il est important que les enfants puissent commencer le sport à un jeune âge et qu’ils sortent jouer. L’obésité est un vrai problème et il faut que nous nous assurions que leur taux de cholestérol demeure bas et qu’ils restent en bonne santé. Un programme tel que celui-ci les aide à se développer, pas seulement en athlétisme, mais dans d’autres sports aussi.” Pour Greene, le message crucial de cette journée était de faire comprendre aux enfants que les activités physiques peuvent être ludiques. "Il est bien sûr important que les enfants soient actifs, et, en même temps, nous avons tous pris beaucoup de plaisir ici, a-t-il dit. Les enfants reçoivent une introduction au sport par quelques-unes de ses stars et nous sommes ravis de faire partie de ce concept. On veut surtout que les enfants s’amusent afin qu’ils continuent à vouloir pratiquer l’athlétisme.” Globalement il semblerait que ce soient les haies qui aient connu le plus de succès auprès des jeunes participants. "Moi, c’est sauter des obstacles qui m’attirait le plus, nous a ainsi confié Zoe Maidemen, 9 ans, de Brooklyn. J’ai un petit frère de sept ans, et à la maison c’est au-dessus de lui que je saute tout le temps." Isaiah Thompson et son coéquipier Michael Alves ont également tous deux cité les haies lorsqu’on leur a demandé quelle épreuve leur avait le plus plu. Pour Michael Rodriguez-King, 9 ans, venu de Westchester, la course de haies représentait un changement par rapport à ce qu’il a l’habitude de faire. "Moi je cours des 800m et des 1500m, a-t-il expliqué. Je n’avais jamais encore disputé une course de haies. Peut-être qu’un jour ce sera ça, ma discipline."Pour Blake, c’était là&nbsp;l’objectif principal de la journée. “J’ai beaucoup aimé encourager les enfants ici, et j’espère qu’en rentrant chez eux ils vont se dire que l’athlétisme est un sport plaisant, et qu’un jour ils aimeraient arriver au sommet dans un sport. Mon entraîneur, Glen Mills, m’a enseigné que si vous faites une première foulée, et que vous croyez en vous, tout devient possible.” La démonstration Kids’ Athletics IAAF / Nestlé est une des promotions organisées en amont de la compétition adidas Grand Prix, la sixième étape de la Diamond League de l’IAAF 2014, qui se déroule samedi 14 juin dans le cadre du stade Icahn, à Randall's Island, New York.Le programme Kids’ Athletics de l’IAAF / Nestlé Healthy Kids, le projet de développement phare du Programme Ecoles / jeunes de l’IAAF est un des programmes de développement de la base du monde sportif. Le programme Nestlé Healthy Kids a pour objectif d’éveiller les enfants d’âge scolaire du monde entier aux bénéfices d’une bonne alimentation, et à l’importance de la santé, du bien-être et des activités physiques. Le programme a touché plus de 6,9 millions d’enfants dans 68 pays en 2013.Nestlé&nbsp;qui est le premier groupe alimentaire mondial spécialisé dans la nutrition, la santé et le bien-être, emploie plus de 339 000 personnes à travers le monde. Il est devenu le sponsor principal du programme Kids' Athletics en janvier 2012, nouant un accord de parrainage de cinq ans avec l'IAAF.A&nbsp;ce&nbsp;jour, le projet a déjà été initié dans plus de 130 des 212 Fédérations membres de l'IAAF. L’objectif est de faire de l’athlétisme le sport participatif numéro un à l’école en favorisant un mode de vie sain et équilibré, mais aussi de séduire ceux qui pourraient devenir les champions de demain.Joe Battaglia pour l’IAAF

Long before she became an Olympic champion or set 14 national records, Jenn Suhr remembers the first time she was asked to pole vault.

IAAF / Nestlé Kids' Athletics a towering success in Manhattan

- READ ON for English and French language versions of this story - La traduction française suit le texte anglaisJamaica’s 2011 world 100m champion Yohan Blake and USA’s 2000 Olympic 100m champion Maurice Greene are among the star athletes ‘past and present’ who will gather in the heart of New York City on Wednesday 11 June to support a demonstration of IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics.Blake, the second-fastest 100m runner of all-time, and Greene, who took three world titles at 100m and one at 200m and is the sixth-fastest ever 100m sprinter, will be in Herald Square on Broadway to help support the fun team event for school children of 9-10 years.The kids, from local schools in New York, will be split into six teams and take part in a competition of about 70 minutes. This series of seven fun activities (2 x jump; 2 x run; 2 x throw; 1 x endurance) cover the core skills of athletics, ‘run, jump, throw’.Joining Blake and Greene as team captains will be fellow star athletes USA’s Olympic pole vault champion Jenn Suhr and Australia’s Sally Pearson*, the 2011 world and 2012 Olympic 100m hurdles champion. Greek pole vaulter Ekaterini Stefanidi, who appropriately for this event is a former world youth champion, and Jamaica’s world and Olympic sprint medallist Warren Weir are also captains.Herald Square, located between 34th and 35th streets, one block from the Empire State Building, will be the setting for an afternoon of track and field street action. Suhr will be especially busy as the afternoon’s proceedings begin with a women’s pole vault featuring the London 2012 Olympic Games champion. Approximately two hours later IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics will commence.IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics demonstration is one of the lead-in promotions to the adidas Grand Prix, the sixth leg of the 2014 IAAF Diamond League which takes place on Saturday 14 June in Icahn Stadium, Randall's Island, New York.IAAF Kids’ Athletics | Nestlé Healthy Kids, the flagship development project of the IAAF’s School / Youth programme, is one of the biggest grassroots development programmes in the world of sports.The International Olympic Committee highlights IAAF / Nestlé Kids Athletics as a case study example of good practice for other international federations –&nbsp;<a href="http://www.olympic.org/content/olympism-in-action/sport-for-all/containers-stories/iaaf-kids-athletics/">click here.</a> Nestlé, which is the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company with 339,000 employees worldwide, became the main sponsor of Kids’ Athletics in January 2012 agreeing a five-year sponsorship with the IAAF.The IAAF’s objectives for Kids’ Athletics, which has so far been activated in more than 130 of the IAAF’s 212 national Member Federations worldwide, are to make athletics the number one participation sport in schools, promoting a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and attracting the potential sports stars of tomorrow.Click here for further information about <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/development/school-youth">IAAF Kids' Athletics</a>*has withdrawn from New York meeting due to injuryIAAFChampions du monde et champions olympiques sur BroadwayLe Jamaïcain, Yohan Blake, champion du monde 2011 du 100m et l’Américain, Maurice Greene, champion olympique du 100m en 2000, sont parmi les stars de l’athlétisme d’hier et d’aujourd’hui, qui seront présentes à New-York pour soutenir une démonstration du programme IAAF / Nestlé Kids' Athletics ce mercredi 11 juin.Blake, deuxième coureur du 100m le plus rapide de tous les temps et Greene, détenteur de trois titres mondiaux sur 100m et d’un sur 200m et 6ème meilleur sprinteur, animeront une présentation ludique de l’athlétisme destinée aux écoliers de 9 et 10 ans qui aura lieu en plein cœur de la ville, à Herald Square sur Broadway.Les enfants des écoles de New-York qui seront divisés en 6 équipes, participeront à une compétition d'environ 70 minutes. Cette mini-série de sept activités (deux épreuves de saut, deux de courses, deux de lancer et une d’endurance) a pour objet de présenter les rudiments de l'athlétisme, "courir, sauter, jeter ' de manière récréative.Jenn Suhr, la championne olympique américaine 2012 de saut à la perche, et l'Australienne Sally Pearson*, championne du monde 2011 et championne olympique 2012 du 100m haies, œuvreront aux cotés de Blake et de Greene en tant que capitaine.La perchiste grecque, Ekaterini Stefanidi, ancienne championne du monde cadet et le Jamaïcain, Warren Weir, médaillé mondial et olympique de sprint, seront également capitaines. Herald Square, qui est situé entre la 34ème et la 35ème rue, à un pâté de maisons de l'Empire State Building, servira de cadre à cette après-midi consacrée à l'athlétisme.&nbsp;Suhr sera particulièrement occupée car la championne olympique des Jeux de Londres 2012 animera une épreuve de saut à la perche féminin en début d’après-midi. La démonstration du programme IAAF / Nestlé Kids' Athletics débutera environ deux heures plus tard.&nbsp;Cette présentation s’inscrit dans le cadre de la campagne promotionnelle du meeting adidas Grand Prix, sixième étape du circuit Diamond League, qui se déroulera le samedi 14 juin au sein du stade Icahn situé sur Randall's Island à New-York.Le Kids’ Athletics IAAF / Nestlé Healthy Kids est le projet phare de l’IAAF à destination des Ecoles et de la jeunesse. C’est l’un des programmes les plus populaires dans le monde du sport. Le Comité International Olympique cite ce programme comme exemple de réussite aux autres fédérations internationales - <a href="http://www.olympic.org/content/olympism-in-action/sport-for-all/containers-stories/iaaf-kids-athletics/">cliquez ici</a> <a> </a>Nestlé qui est le premier groupe alimentaire mondial spécialisé dans la nutrition, la santé et le bien-être, emploie plus de 339 000 personnes à travers le monde. Il est devenu le sponsor principal du programme Kids' Athletics en janvier 2012 acceptant un parrainage de cinq ans avec l'IAAF.A ce jour, le projet a déjà été initié dans plus de 130 des 212 Fédérations membres de l'IAAF. L’objectif est de faire de l’athlétisme le sport numéro un à l’école en favorisant un mode de vie sain et équilibré mais aussi de séduire ceux qui deviendront les champions de demain.Pour plus d'information sur <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/development/school-youth">IAAF Kids’ Athletics</a> cliquez ici&nbsp;* a déclaré forfait pour le meeting de New-York en raison de blessureIAAF

Jamaica’s 2011 world 100m champion Yohan Blake and USA’s 2000 Olympic 100m champion Maurice Greene are among the star athletes ‘past and present’ who will gather in the heart of New York City on Wednesday 11 June to support a demonstration of IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics.

World and Olympic champions in Broadway star cast

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is delighted to announce that IAAF Kids’ Athletics / Nestlé Healthy Kids, the flagship development project of its School / Youth programme, will be demonstrated in the heart of New York City on Wednesday 11 June.IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics, which is one of the biggest grassroots development programmes in the world of sports, will be introduced to citizens of ‘The Big Apple’ in Herald Square on Broadway. The demonstration is one of the lead-in promotions to the adidas Grand Prix, the sixth leg of the 2014 IAAF Diamond League which takes place on Saturday 14 June in Icahn Stadium, Randall's Island, New York.Herald Square, which is located between 34th and 35th streets, one block from the Empire State Building, will be the setting for an afternoon of track and field street action. Proceedings will begin at 12.30 local time with a women’s pole vault competition featuring USA’s Olympic champion Jenn Suhr.Approximately two hours later six teams of New York school children aged 9-10 years old will take part in IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics, a series of fun activities which covers the core skills of athletics, ‘run, jump, throw’.The event will be supported by some of the world’s top athletics stars ‘past and present’ with six of them acting as captains for the teams. The athletes (in alphabetical order) who will be onsite to cheer on the kids will be global champions and medallists Yohan Blake, Maurice Greene, Sally Pearson, Ekaterini Stefanidi, Jenn Suhr and Warren Weir.Nestlé, which is the world’s leading nutrition, health and wellness company with 339,000 employees worldwide, became the main sponsor of Kids’ Athletics in January 2012 agreeing a five-year sponsorship with the IAAF.The IAAF’s objectives for Kids’ Athletics, which has so far been activated in more than 130 of the IAAF’s 212 national Member Federations worldwide, are to make athletics the number one participation sport in schools, promoting a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and attracting the potential sports stars of tomorrow.Click here <a href="http://www.iaaf.org/development/school-youth">for further information about IAAF / Nestlé Kids Athletics</a>IAAF<a href="http://www.iaaf.org/development/school-youth"> </a>IAAF / Nestlé Kids' Athletics en vedette à BroadwayL’Association Internationale des Fédérations d'Athlétisme (IAAF) a le plaisir d'annoncer qu’une démonstration du Kids’ Athletics / Nestlé Healthy Kids, le projet phare de l’IAAF à destination des Ecoles et de la jeunesse, se déroulera au cœur de la ville de New-York, le mercredi 11 juin.&nbsp; Le Kids' Athletics IAAF / Nestlé est l’un des programmes les plus populaires dans le monde du sport. Il sera officiellement présenté aux citoyens de&nbsp;‘‘la Grosse Pomme’’ à Herald Square, sur Broadway.Cette manifestation s’inscrit dans le cadre de la campagne promotionnelle du meeting adidas Grand Prix, sixième étape du circuit de la Diamond League, qui aura lieu le samedi 14 juin au sein du stade Icahn situé sur Randall's Island à New-York.Herald Square, qui est situé entre la 34ème et la 35ème rue à un pâté de maisons de l'Empire State Building, servira de cadre à cette après-midi consacrée à l'athlétisme. La manifestation débutera à 12h30 heure locale par une compétition de saut à la perche féminin avec la championne olympique américaine, Jenn Suhr.&nbsp; Environ deux heures plus tard, six équipes composées d'écoliers new-yorkais âgés de 9 à 10 ans participeront au projet IAAF / Nestlé Kids' Athletics, une série d'animations qui présente de manière ludique les rudiments de l'athlétisme&nbsp;: « courir, sauter, lancer ».Plusieurs champions d'athlétisme d’hier et d’aujourd’hui seront présents pour soutenir cette démonstration d’athlétisme et six d’entre eux seront capitaines des équipes. Les athlètes venus encourager les enfants sont tous champions du monde ou médaillés olympiques&nbsp;: Yohan Blake, Maurice Greene, Sally Pearson, Ekaterini Stefanidi, Jenn Suhr et Warren Weir (par ordre alphabétique).Nestlé qui est le premier groupe alimentaire mondial spécialisé dans la nutrition, la santé et le bien-être, emploie plus de 339 000 personnes à travers le monde. Il est devenu le sponsor principal du programme Kids' Athletics en janvier 2012 acceptant un parrainage de cinq ans avec l'IAAF.A ce jour, le projet a déjà été initié dans plus de 130 des 212 Fédérations membres de l'IAAF. L’objectif est de faire de l’athlétisme le sport numéro un à l’école en favorisant un mode de vie sain et équilibré mais aussi de séduire ceux qui deviendront les champions de demain.Pour plus d'information sur IAAF Kids’ Athletics <a></a><a href="http://www.iaaf.org/development/school-youth">cliquez ici</a>IAAF&nbsp;

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is delighted to announce that IAAF Kids’ Athletics / Nestlé Healthy Kids, the flagship development project of its School / Youth programme, will be demonstrated in the heart of New York City on Wednesday 11 June.

IAAF / Nestlé Kids’ Athletics to star on Broadway

Ahead of the 2013 World Athletics Gala in Monaco, three-time World 100m champion Maurice Greene, four-time World Long Jump champion Dwight Phillips and four-time World 110m Hurdles champion Allen Johnson spoke to Ato Boldon about their careers and the 2013 World Athlete of the Year awards. Ato Boldon: Maurice, tell us a bit about your memories of your athletics career and is there anything you think the sport should be doing differently now?Maurice Greene: I have a lot of tremendous memories, especially from Monaco. I was just talking about the time when we were here for the Golden League meeting. We had just got off the bus and we were heading to our hotel when we saw a guy sitting outside with a blue Lamborghini. The dude just threw us the keys and told us to take it for a drive, so we did.This sport has given me so much and I&rsquo;ve put so much into it. Our era really had a lot of passion and really worked hard for the sport. I think the current athletes should give the people what they really want to see and that&rsquo;s personality and competition. AB: Dwight, you&rsquo;re the most recent retiree here; was it a difficult decision to retire?Dwight Phillips: Being an athlete, we do this our entire lives and we feel as though we can do this for ever. I really wanted to retire after 2012, but I tore my achilles that year which was a sour moment because I had been No.1 in the world for the two previous years. Luckily I had the opportunity to compete at the World Championships because I had the bye, so I told myself that I want to go out fighting and that&rsquo;s what I did. I came into the sport fighting and I went out fighting. AB: Allen, how do you assess the current health of the 110m Hurdles and where were you when Aries Merritt broke the World record last year?Allen Johnson: I can&rsquo;t remember where I was but I knew Aries had been running well and I knew that Brussels was his last race. He&rsquo;d been running 12.92 and 12.93. I had the meeting record for Brussels (12.92), so selfishly I was hoping he wouldn&rsquo;t break it. I thought &lsquo;it&rsquo;s the end of the year, he&rsquo;s probably tired&rsquo;.I didn&rsquo;t see the race but I got a text from Darrell Smith, saying &lsquo;wow did you see that?!&rsquo; My heart immediately started racing so I went online and saw that he ran 12.80. I just thought &lsquo;woah, that&rsquo;s amazing&rsquo;.He smashed it. To see someone break the world record by 0.07 and almost get into the 12.7s, that&rsquo;s a tremendous moment for the event and for Aries.I&rsquo;d had conversations in the past with other hurdlers like Tony Dees and Renaldo Nehemiah and we all felt that a time in the 12.7s was definitely possible. It was just a matter of time. As far as human capabilities go, 12.7 is definitely within reason; I&rsquo;ve felt that since 1996. My personal goal was to run 12.78.The event is in pretty good shape right now. There&rsquo;s Aries Merritt and David Oliver. Dayron Robles is still around, Liu Xiang may yet come back. It&rsquo;s an event where we always see head-to-head competition, which is good from a spectator&rsquo;s standpoint. AB: Now all of you are retired, what are you doing now?DP: Currently I own a production company. I also do some work for Leap of Faith Community Outreach, where I work with adults and kids who struggle with substance abuse and behavioural problems. I&rsquo;m also coaching; one of the athletes I train is Damar Forbes of Jamaica.MG: I&rsquo;ve been working for Eurosport, which is a lot of fun. I&rsquo;m also working with kids in California and I&rsquo;m still coaching.AJ: I&rsquo;m a sprint coach at the US Air Force Academy. There are 30 athletes in my group, which &ndash; as any other coach will tell you &ndash; is too many, but I enjoy it and I get to work with a bunch of hard-working classy young adults who&rsquo;ll represent the USA in the armed forces. AB: Who do you think should win the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s IAAF Athlete of the Year awards?MG: When I got the email with the shortlist, I thought &lsquo;man this is tough&rsquo;. On the men&rsquo;s side, I was very excited to see what Mo Farah did. Don&rsquo;t get wrong, what Usain Bolt has done is great, but no one is shocked by what he does any more. What Mo Farah is doing is more unexpected, like when he broke the British 1500m record. The things he&rsquo;s been doing for the past two years have been phenomenal.On the women&rsquo;s side, I&rsquo;m probably biased but I think what Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce did was tremendous and her year was phenomenal, so I&rsquo;d lean towards her.DP: I think we could make an argument for Valerie Adams in the Shot Put. She has been very dominant and has won one championship after another, so at some point she should be awarded for doing that.Mo Farah had a great showing at home last year and replicated that in Moscow, so I think it will be a toss-up between him and Bolt.AJ: Bolt has been setting the world on fire since 2008. That said, he&rsquo;s so good now that whatever he does, whenever I see it, I&rsquo;m like &lsquo;oh, okay&rsquo;. Even if he runs 9.4, I&rsquo;d be like &lsquo;oh, he ran 9.4&rsquo;. So with that said, it makes me lean towards Mo Farah; it would be good to see a new face win it. But if it&rsquo;s about athlete of the year, then Usain Bolt.On the women&rsquo;s side, perhaps I&rsquo;m biased but I think it should be Brianna Rollins. I know she&rsquo;s not shortlisted, but watching her compete this year, I was extremely impressed with how she ran at the World Championships, more so than her 12.26. She is a young athlete who was competing at her first World Championships and she got left in the blocks, but she had the composure to stay focused on her race, not panic, clear each barrier and win the race.Of the people on the shortlist, I&rsquo;d go with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. AB: What about Bohdan Bondarenko? Have we all been overlooking a genuine contender?AJ: It&rsquo;s difficult to be a one-event athlete going up against people who can double up, like sprinters and distance runners. A lot of field event athletes only have their specialist event with no other events to complement it.None of us four athletes here have won the IAAF Athlete of the Year award, which shows how difficult it is to win. To be the single most outstanding athlete of the year is incredible. Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

Ahead of the 2013 World Athletics Gala in Monaco, Maurice Greene, Dwight Phillips and Allen Johnson spoke to Ato Boldon about their careers and the 2013 World Athlete of the Year awards.

Monaco press points – Maurice Greene, Dwight Phillips and Allen Johnson

The eighth episode of IAAF Inside Athletics is available to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hINzfZ459M">watch online now</a>.This week's episode includes an exclusive interview with multiple world and Olympic 100m champion Maurice Greene.<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6hINzfZ459M?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" width="500"></iframe>Launched earlier this year, IAAF Inside Athletics is hosted by Trinidad &amp; Tobago&rsquo;s 1997 World 200m champion Ato Boldon, who is now a respected television broadcast analyst for ESPN and NBC.Exclusive to the IAAF, the show appears on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub" target="_blank">IAAF World Athletics Club Facebook page</a>.Fans can interact and ask questions, either on Facebook or by sending an email to: <a href="mailto:insideathletics@iaaf.org" target="_blank">insideathletics@iaaf.org</a>.If you enjoyed any of the previous episodes of IAAF Inside Athletics, then click &lsquo;like&rsquo; on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/WorldAthleticsClub" target="_blank">IAAF World Athletics Club on Facebook</a>.IAAF

IAAF Inside Athletics – episode 8 online now

IAAF Inside Athletics – Maurice Greene

24 November 2012 &ndash; Barcelona, Spain &ndash; Four winners from the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships earlier this year, Angelica Bengtsson, Adam Gemili, Ana Peleteiro and Anthonique Strachan, returned to the city of their triumphs in Barcelona and&nbsp;appeared at the press point at the&nbsp;IAAF Centenary Gala on Saturday (24). These were some of the highlights.
Angelica Bengtsson (SWE)
What were your favourite moments from being in Barcelona earlier this year, apart from winning?
Just jumping high in the final. I&rsquo;ve been to Barcelona before, so like the city.
What is your life like off the track?
I&rsquo;m in my final year at high school but I&rsquo;m living in France, in Clermont Ferrand, and finishing my courses at in Sweden at long distance. However, I&rsquo;m almost training full time. I moved to Clermont Ferrand to train with Renaud Lavillenie&rsquo;s former coach Damien Inocencio. He is going to coach me for the whole of the indoor season and after that, we will see.
What are your personal goals for the next 12 months?
My goal is the European Indoor Championships in G&ouml;teborg, because it&rsquo;s in Sweden. I hope to do well there but I don&rsquo;t know how high I can jump because of the change in my coach but I have high expectations.
G&ouml;teborg will be special, there will be extra motivation as the crowd knows me. &nbsp;
Adam Gemili (GBR) 
What were your favourite moments from being in Barcelona earlier this year, apart from winning?
I think my favourite moment was the day after the 100m when I got to meet a lot of people, including (former World record holder) Maurice Greene, which was a great honour. I got to meet a lot of great athletes and coaches, which was amazing. &nbsp;Being here, and at the Welcome Dinner, I wasn&rsquo;t going to miss an opportunity to introduce myself and get my photo taken with so many legends.
What is your life like off the track?
I&rsquo;m training full-time but I&rsquo;m also at university where I&rsquo;m studying sports and exercise science and human biology, which is quite challenging; but I think it&rsquo;s going to help me with my running as I&rsquo;ll get to know my body.
What are your personal goals for the next 12 months?
I&rsquo;m not 100 per cent about indoors, I&rsquo;ve got to discuss that with my coach, but my aim is the European U23 Championships and I hope to make the team for the World Championships, and if I&rsquo;m lucky enough to get on the team going to Moscow then I want to do well there.
I want to run quicker than I did this year. Everyone always talks about going sub-10, well that will happen when I understand my race a bit better and, next year, I hopefully should be in good shape to do it. But I&rsquo;m not going to say definitely I will do it. Who knows what can happen?
Ana Peleteiro (ESP)
What were your favourite moments from being in Barcelona earlier this year, apart from winning?
It was part of the competition. When I saw that I&rsquo;d jumped 14.17m, I just broke down in tears and started crying because it was so incredible.
What is your life like off the track?
I&rsquo;m still only 16 so I&rsquo;m still in high school but later I want to go into a special college and do a degree in sports.
What are your personal goals for the next 12 months?
For me, the main goal is the European Junior Championships but I&rsquo;m also aiming for Carlota Castrejana&rsquo;s Spanish national record of 14.64m. I&rsquo;m too young to think about the World Junior Championships, I&rsquo;ll think about those things step-by-step.
Anthonique Strachan (BAH)
What were your favourite moments from being in Barcelona earlier this year, apart from winning?
It was going on the bus tour of the city. I&rsquo;d never been to Barcelona before, I was very hysterical. The buildings here are beautiful.
What is your life like off the track?
I recently signed with the shoe company PUMA and I start university in January but recently I&rsquo;ve started training full-time.
What are your personal goals for the next 12 months?
Hopefully, this year I&rsquo;ll be healthy because for the last two years I&rsquo;ve had Achilles problems, so I just want this year to be injury-free. I just want to make it to the Worlds as I went to Daegu, and then I want to make it to the final as I made it to the semis there. My target that I go 22.2 (for the 200m).
Phil Minshull for the IAAF

Barcelona Press Points: Angelica Bengtsson, Adam Gemili, Ana Peleteiro and Anthonique Strachan

Three time World long jump champion Ivan Pedroso of Cuba will join an all star line up which already includes Maurice Greene, Wilson Kipketer and Sonia O'Sullivan at the Ericsson Grand Prix on June 15th in Helsinki's Olympic stadium. Pedroso, who has also won four consecutive world indoor titles will head a strong Cuban team including Anier Garcia, the 1999 World 110m hurdles silver medallist and Osleidis Menedez, the double women's world junior javelin champion. As well as Pedroso, the men's long jump will give an opportunity to view the prodigious talent of his 21 year old compatriot Luis Meliz, who was third at the world junior championships in 1998 and jumped 8.21m indoors earlier this year. As well as the talented Cuban squad a whole host of medallists from last year's Seville World championships have also been added to the Ericsson line up including (events in brackets), Llewellyn HERBERT (RSA) World silver (men's 400m hurs); Claudinei DA SILVA (BRA) 200m World silver (men's 100m); Anja RUCKER (GER) World silver (women's 400m); Anzhela BALAHONOVA (UKR) World silver (women's pole vault); Tatjana GRIGORJEVA (AUS) World bronze (women's pole vault). These world medallists will also be complimented by a strong British contingent led by Darren Campbell, the current European 100 metres champion, Christian Malcolm, the recently crowned European Indoor 200 metres gold medallist and Tony Jarrett, the reigning Commonwealth 110m hurdles champion. However, most British attention will be focused on the performance of the fast improving Katharine Merry in the women's 400 metres. Merry who took a surprising 5th place in the Seville World championship final last summer, will be making her season's debut at the one lap sprint in Helsinki and she is certain to give Anja Rucker, the world silver medallist a strong challenge. Also confirmed for the Ericsson Grand Prix are two reigning Olympic champions, Norway's Vebjorn Rodal in the men's 800m and home girl Heli Rantanen in the women's javelin. The world's fastest 10,000 metres runner of 1999, Charles Kamathi of Kenya who ran a 26:51.49 debut last year, will run in the men's 3,000 metres. While in the women's long jump, Brazil's Maurren Maggi, the world's furthest jumper in 1999 (7.26m) will be joined by Sweden's Erica Johansson, the newly crowned European indoor champion.Chris Turner for the IAAF

Three time World long jump champion Ivan Pedroso of Cuba will join an all star line up which already includes Maurice Greene, Wilson Kipketer and Sonia O'Sullivan at the Ericsson Grand Prix on June 15th in Helsinki's Olympic stadium.

Ivan Pedroso heads strong Cuban challenge at the Ericsson Grand Prix

Greene and Miller, winners of the Jesse Owens Memorial Award for 1999 can't wait to face their biggest rivals next year. Greene's nemesis is Michael Johnson, the Olympic champion and world record-holder in the 200 and 400 meters. Miller's No. 1 foe is Marion Jones, the two-time world champion in the women's 100. "It's like we're playing cards,'' Greene said Wednesday, after being chosen the award winner over five other male track and field stars. "I'm ready to play mine." The awards, presented annually to the outstanding male and female performers in United States track and field, long distance running and race walking, are named in honour of the Hall of Famer who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics. This year, when Greene was setting the world record of 9.79 seconds in the 100, winning the 200 at the USA Championships and sweeping the 100 and 200 at the World Championships, he accused Johnson of ducking him in the 200. Johnson, who ran only the 400 at the World Championships and was a last-minute withdrawal from the 200 at the USA Championships because of an injury, said the same thing about Greene. So they never met. Greene said he hoped to race against Johnson before next year's U.S. Olympic trials at Sacramento, California, in July. "I would love to do a special race, if he'll agree to it,'' Greene said. Johnson, however, has ruled out ever running a match race again, after injuring himself during a 150m confrontation against then 100m world record-holder Donovan Bailey in 1997. Meanwhile, Greene said one of his goals next year was to lower his world record in the 100 to 9.76. Miller and Jones, who both run the 100 and 200, met occasionally during 1999. Jones won every time, except in the 200 at the World Championships, when she pulled up with an injury in the semifinals. "I've never been one to avoid competition,'' Miller said. "I'm looking forward to running against her. We're both vying for the top sprinters' spot, so let's do it. "It will be a good rivalry. It's not a one-woman show anymore.'' Despite her losses to Jones, Miller had the best year of her career. In addition to winning the 200 world title in a world-leading 21.77, she got the silver medal in the 100 with a career-best 10.79, she won the 100 at the USA Championships and was third in the 200, and was a winner at four other major invitational meets. In winning the award, voted upon by USA Track &amp; Field officials, administrators and the media, Miller beat five other contenders, including Jones. The others were pole vaulter Stacy Dragila, sprinter-hurdler Gail Devers, middle-distance runner Regina Jacobs and 400- and 800-meter runner Jearl Miles Clark. "The year that I had was unbelievable,'' Miller said. "It's an honour to receive an award with Jesse Owens' name on it.'' Other contenders for the men's award were pole vaulter Jeff Hartwig, discus thrower Anthony Washington, shot putter C.J. Hunter and race walker Curt Clausen. The winners will receive their awards Thursday at a banquet during the USATF convention in Los Angeles.Bert Rosenthal (AP) for the IAAF

US sprinters Maurice Greene and Inger Miller have been named as the recipients of the 1999 Jesse Owens awards

Maurice Greene and Inger Miller Jesse Owens laureates 1999

Lance Armstrong, who defeated cancer then won the Tour de France, has been voted this year's Reuters sports personality of the year. Armstrong led an American sweep of the first five places, scoring 122 points out of a possible 280, ahead of sprinter Michael Johnson in second place on 108 points with French and U.S. Open champion Andre Agassi third with 96. Sprinter Maurice Greene came fourth with 78 points followed by golfer Tiger Woods in fifth place with 72 points. Fifty-six sports editors and journalists from 36 countries ranked the leading five sportsmen and women from a 30-strong list compiled by Reuters journalists. Five points were awarded for first place, four points for second, three for third, two for fourth and one for fifth. Second-placed Johnson, the Olympic 200 and 400 metres gold medallist, broke the 11-year-old world 400 record at the Seville World Championships in August when he clocked 43.18 seconds. "An outstanding achievement in breaking the 400 metre world record, cementing his position as one of the great athletes of all time," said Clive Ellis at The Daily Telegraph in Britain. Johnson won a record ninth world championships title this year, beating the previous best of eight gold medals held by Carl Lewis. "Johnson is a sports phenomenon. By breaking the world record for what I consider the toughest race in athletics he has shown that he is a superhuman. This record will stand for a long time." said Godfrey Robert of the Straits Times in Singapore. Maurice Greene won plaudits from journalists for breaking the world 100 metres record and becoming the first man to complete the world 100 and 200 metres double. "Breaking the world record in 100 metres is one of the greatest achievements in life for an athlete," said Gert Roets of Supersport International in South Africa. Brazilian striker Rivaldo bagged 49 points in the survey ahead of Finland's Formula One champion Mika Hakkinen on 46 points. Hakkinen retained the title this year at the final showdown of the season in Japan. Steffi Graf finished eighth with 31 points after dominating women's tennis for the past 10 years. Graf won the French Open in June before announcing her retirement. Romanian middle distance runner Gabriela Szabo and world undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis from Britain rounded out the Reuters top 10. Szabo gained 26 points while Lewis collected 22. French World Cup hero Zinedine Zidane won the Reuters sports personality of the year survey in 1998. Following is a table of the top 10 sports personalities of the year as voted by senior sports journalists around the world. 1. Lance Armstrong Cycling U.S. 122 2. Michael Johnson Athletics U.S. 108 3. Andre Agassi Tennis U.S. 96 4. Maurice Greene Athletics U.S. 78 5. Tiger Woods Golf U.S. 72 6. Rivaldo Soccer Brazil 49 7. Mika Hakkinen Motor Racing Finland 46 8. Steffi Graf Tennis Germany 31 9. Gabriela Szabo Athletics Romania 26 10. Lennox Lewis Boxing Britain 22Reuters for the IAAF

Michael Johnson, Maurice Greene and Gabriela Szabo were voted by world wide sports journalists into the top ten of the Reuters sports personality of the year poll.

Track and Field Athletes at the top of the Reuters polls

World Champions Maurice Greene, John Godina and Michael Johnson have arrived in Seville 17 August, 1999 - Seville - Spain - America&rsquo;s world champions Maurice Greene (100m), John Godina (shot put) and Michael Johnson (400m) arrived earlier today in Seville. 100m world record holder Maurice Greene, along with other members of the group coached by John Smith, arrived today from Monte Carlo where they have been training for the past couple of weeks. Greene should be running two rounds of the 100m on Saturday, 100m semi-final and final on Sunday, the first two rounds of the 200m on Tuesday, the 200m semi-final on Wednesday and the final on Friday. He should also take part in the US 4x100m team which contest heats on Saturday 28 and, if all goes well, the final on Sunday 29. Defending 400m world champion and 200m world record holder Michael Johnson and shot put world reigning champion John Godina also arrived today in Seville. Eunice Barber, who will certainly be one to watch in Seville, also arrived today in the Capital of Andalusia. The Sierra Leone born Barber, who now competes for France, is entered in both the 100m hurdles and the heptathlon and has serious chances of winning a medal in the heptathlon where she already accomplished 6505 points this year, second to Dedee Nathan who will not be in Seville. Barber had also qualified for the long jump but will not be able to compete in this event. France&rsquo;s other main medal hopes, Christine Arron and Jean Galfione will arrive respectively on 19 and 22 August, while 400m hurdles world champion St&eacute;phane Diagana flies in on 20 August. Italy&rsquo;s 1997 long jump bronze medallist Fiona May will be in Seville tomorrow while Athens 10km walk world champion Anna Rita Sidoti is due to arrive on 24 August. Namibia&rsquo;s Frank Fredericks will arrive in Seville on Thursday 19 August, just one day before the Opening Ceremony, which will be held on 20 August at 21:30. Great Britain&rsquo;s 110m world record holder Colin Jackson is also landing in Seville on 19 August.

The champions have started to arrive. Today it was the turn of Maurice Greeene, John Godina and Michael Johnson..

World Champions Maurice Greene, John Godina and Michael Johnson have arrived in Seville

Maurice Greene, who shattered the world record for 100 meters earlier this month, and Ato Boldon, 200m World Champion will run in Rome's July 7 Golden Gala athletics meet, organisers said Monday. Greene, the 100 metres World Champion, shattered the old mark for the sport's glamour event by clocking 9.79 seconds at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece, June 16. He won the 200 metres at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Sunday. In Rome, Greene has committed to running the 100m, where he will be pitted against Canada&rsquo;s Bruny Surin who is in excellent form, clocking 9.88 at his national Championships in Winnipeg last week. The Golden Gala is the second leg in the IAAF's seven-meet Golden League series (following Oslo on 30 June), which offers a 1 million dollar jackpot to be split among the athletes who win their events at every circuit stop plus the Grand Prix Final. In addition to Greene, organisers announced Monday, the Kansas City, Kansas, native's training partner, Ato Boldon, will participate. Boldon will run the 200, for which he is the world champion. Others set to attend include women's 100m World Champion Marion Jones, who'll run the 200m, and world record holders Kim Batten in the women's 400 hurdles and Kenya's Bernard Barmasai in the 3000m steeplechase.AP for the IAAF

Preview of the IAAF Golden League Golden Gala Meeting on July 7.