Rivals clear path for possible Greene revolution

Greene, who won on Sunday8217;s 100-metre final in 10.80 seconds, the second fastest time ever, will not have to run against his training partner and 1997 champion Ato Boldon, who has withdrawn with a hamstring injury. Nor will he contend with Olympic champion and world record holder Michael Johnson, who is defending his world 400 title.

Marion Jones, whose plans for four gold medals were ruined by Spaniard Niurka Montalvo in Monday8217;s long jump final, won her opening heat of the women8217;s 200 metres in 22.69 seconds.

Tomas Dvorak, the Czech who set a new standard in the decathlon lastmonth with the world record, looked determined to underline his claim to be the greatest all-round athlete in the first three events.

A 10.60-second 100-metre run, 7.98-metre long jump and 16.49-metre shot put gave Dvorak the three-event lead at the end of the morning session, with a total of 2,890 points, and close to the schedule of his world record total of 8,994 points in Prague last month. He headed the standings with 2,890 points here, ahead of American champion Chris Huffins who had 2,800.

South Africa8217;s 1997 silver medallist Llewellyn Herbert withdrew from the first round of the 400 metres hurdles. Herbert, who has the fastest time of the year with an altitude-assisted 47.83 seconds, has been suffering from a groin injury.

Russian Vyacheslav Voronin employed divine assistance to help him travel higher than ever before to win the men8217;s world high jump title. Voronin8217;s first time clearance at 2.37 metres was both a personal best and the best mark in the world this year.

Whether or not he wasreally flying blind, Voronin8217;s success will bring a welcome spot of relief to his family and friends in his beleaguered home town of Vladikavkaz.

Secessionists from the break-away republic of Inguthetia have recently committed a series of bombings and shootings in the border town.

8220;But I am not afraid. It has not disrupted my training and the local population are usually quite friendly to ethnic Russians like myself,8221; Voronin added.

However, Voronin put his domestic distractions behind him, other than having his wife and four year-old daughter in the stands cheering him to victory, to become the dominating presence in what many predicted was going to be a wide open contest.

He was faultless up to and including his winning height, including a massive clearance at 2.35.

Secure in the knowledge that he was the gold medallist after his successful jump at 2.37, Voronin had the bar raised to 2.40 for a Russian record and a height only eight other men in history have cleared.

However, for the firsttime all night, he fell short. 8220;At 2.40, I was so excited that my technique deserted me,8221; the new world champion said.

Voronin8217;s Seville triumph broke a sequence of silver medals at big events, which also included the 1998 European Indoor Championships and stretched all the way back to when he was a teenager at the 1993 European Junior Championships.

The silver medal went to Canada8217;s Mark Boswell, who set a new National record with a successful third effort at 2.35 and bronze to Germany8217;s Martin Buss 2.32.