Athletics at the 2000 Sydney Summer Games:

By 2000 the fastest sprinter in the world was again an American, Maurice Greene. Greene won the World Championships in both 1997 and 1999. Early in 1999, running in Athina, Greene claimed the world record with a time of 9.79, a mark previously matched only by the disgraced Ben Johnson at Seoul in 1988. No European challenger to Greene appeared between Olympics, but at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Ato Boldon (TRI) won the gold medal over Frank Fredericks (NAM), who were considered Greene’s main opposition going into Sydney. At Sydney, Greene confirmed his status as the world’s fastest man, winning easily in 9.87, with Boldon second. The bronze medal went to the Barbadian Obadele Thompson.