Marion Jones, Maurice Greene Win 200 Titles In Eugene

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

The Meet: 1999 USATF Outdoor Championships, Eugene, Ore. 

The Significance: This meet happened as many of today's college seniors were coming into the world. The final session broadcast, which originally aired on CBS, featured a collection of sprint finals with some highlights of previous days' action. This was an era when the U.S. team was dominated by Michael Johnson and Maurice Greene, Gail Devers and Marion Jones. The specter of performance enhancing drugs – in ways known and still unknown at the time – hung over this meet. A Johnson-Greene matchup at 200 meters would have been the marquee event, but Johnson, the world record holder, who had a bye to the 1999 World Championships later in the summer in Seville, Spain, pulled out of the final and cited an injury. "It doesn't look good for the sport," commentator Dwight Stones said of the missed opportunity for a showdown. In a replay, Jeff Hartwig's American record 19-9 (6.02m) pole vault is shown, as well as an attempt at 20 feet. Jearl Miles-Clark opens the session with a victory in the women's 800 meters (1:59.47), the longest race shown on the broadcast. Anyone wanting a nostalgic look at "old" Hayward Field will get an eyeful.

Free To Watch: This video from the USATF.TV archives is free to watch for 48 hours and is available to view afterward with a RunnerSpace +PLUS subscription.