Noise Suddenly Abates Leading to 200 Crescendo

They built this meet on smack and trash-talk, pumping up the volume with each advancing day, giving Nike and Adidas reason to consider cranking out red-white-and-blue, star-spangled designer ear plugs in anticipation of today’s 200-meter finals at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.

But on the eve of the main event, with a national media corps at the ready to type and hype, look who’s not talking.

Not Maurice Greene, who has spent months pining and opining about a 200-meter showdown with Michael Johnson, taunting Johnson at every juncture along the way, only to clam up after Saturday’s qualifying heats, swearing off all interviews “until after the final.”

Not Johnson, who engaged Greene in a semi-comical stare-down before the heats, then refused to elaborate when asked about it by NBC’s Jim Gray, dismissing the rivalry as “silly. I’m not even going to get into that.”

Not Inger Miller, who turned her back on reporters waiting for her in the mixed zone, issuing only a terse statement to a USA Track and Field operative to inform all of America that her legs felt great, that her heat was easy and that “I don’t care how anybody else ran, just myself.”

Marion Jones, a conscientious objector amid the nonstop noise of the past week, approved of the sudden sound of silence.

“My whole situation with all of the trash-talking is this: None of you have ever heard me say a bad word about anybody,” Jones said after leading all women’s qualifiers with a time of 22.62 seconds. “Nobody has ever heard me talk trash about anyone. What I want to do is run fast.

“I’m tired of all this. I’m tired of all this talking. If you’re going to talk, put up. If you’re going to talk, come out to the track and be ready to race. That’s all I’m asking.”

Oh, race.

Yes, they all did that too--Johnson laboring a good deal more than he intended after being pushed by John Capel. For psychological/intimidation purposes, Johnson felt he needed to win his heat, so, rather than coast in behind Capel, he ran hard, all the way through, for the first time in the meet.

The result: a first-round time of 19.89 seconds--faster than Greene’s gold medal-winning time at last year’s world championships--and, possibly, an overworked right quadriceps muscle.

Johnson said he felt it “cramp a little in the curve. I was able to finish the race. Tomorrow, I hope the schedule won’t be a problem, but I don’t know right now.”

The schedule?

It could be a problem. Greene and Johnson were drawn into the same semifinal group, situated side by side in Lanes 4 and 5, as were Jones and Miller in the women’s semifinals.

That would mean head-to-head confrontations between Greene-Johnson and Jones-Miller within a span of two hours today. Memo to the meet director from NBC: Can you say “re-draw?”

Ordinarily with Johnson, the strategy during qualifying rounds is to advance with as little energy expended as possible. En route to his 400-meter triumph last weekend, Johnson barely broke a sweat, even in the final.

But with Capel running the second-fastest time of the day, 20.14 seconds, and Johnson wanting to throw some fear into Greene, Johnson had to grind to the finish, producing the second-fastest time in the world this year--in a first-round qualifying heat.

Greene, having run 20.29 seconds in an earlier heat, watched Johnson’s race on a television monitor in the mixed zone, then stomped away without saying a word.

Capel might have done Greene a favor, however, by pressing Johnson from start to finish.

“That was the plan,” said Capel, the 1999 NCAA champion and a wide receiver at Florida. “To see how good a shape people are in.”

Capel had never before raced against Johnson and conceded the experience was more than a little unsettling.

“A lot of athletes are terrified getting into the blocks against him,” Capel said. “I’m still a little bit shaken that I ran that close to him.

“I thought I would have to run a lot faster to stay that close. With about 50 meters to go, he started hobbling a little. I thought he’d come up faster than he did. I ran a pretty decent race.”

In the women’s 200 field, Jones and Michelle Collins (22.85) were the only runners to break 23 seconds. Kinshasa Davis was next at 23.12, followed by Miller at 23.13 and Latasha Colander-Richardson at 23.29.

Asked about today’s anticipated showdown with Miller, Jones issued a response that came as close as trash-speak as she has come this week.

“People get themselves in trouble when they assume something,” Jones said. “I train with Michelle Collins. I know how fast she and Latasha Colander are. Everyone’s assuming 1-2 and looking for No. 3. Maybe you should put those assessments aside and see what happens.”

Translation: Jones is planning to finish first, but Miller might not be there right after her. Stealth smack--accomplished without even mentioning Miller by name.

This, then, was armistice day at the U.S. trials. A brief cease-fire before the final storm.

Capel, who says he hears worse every day at Gator football practice, has not been especially impressed by the level of discourse at this meet.

“They can do all the jaw-jacking they want,” Capel said. “These guys really have nothing to say. It doesn’t mean a thing. It’s much worse in football. There, they talk about your mother and everything.”

Still, Capel felt obliged to add that he’s “glad no one mentions me at all. So while those two are in [lanes] five and six battling [in the final], I’ll be in four or seven moving past them.”

Sorry. Capel just couldn’t resist.

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Showdown in the 200

Thumbnails on Maurice Greene and Michael Johnson, who face off in today’s 200-meter semifinals of the U.S. Olympic trials:

MAURICE GREENE

* Age: 26. * Height: 5 feet 9. * Weight: 175 pounds.

* Birthplace: Kansas City, Kan. * Coach: John Smith.

* Current Residence: Granada Hills.

* High School: Schlagle, Kansas City, Kan.

* College: None. * Personal Best in 200: 19.86.

* Major accomplishments: World record-holder 100 meters (9.79); two-time world 100-meter champion (1997, ‘99); world champion 200 (1999); anchored 400-meter relay to win at 1999 World Championships for his third gold medal at the meet; 2000 Olympic trials 100 champion; 1999 world indoor 60-meter champion; indoor 50- and 60-meter world-record holder.

MICHAEL JOHNSON

* Age: 32. * Height: 6 feet 1. * Weight: 175 pounds.

* Birthplace: Dallas. * Coach: Clyde Hart.

* Current Residence: Dallas.

* High School: Skyline, Dallas.

* College: Baylor. * Personal Best in 200: 19.32.

* Major accomplishments: 1996 Olympic 200 and 400 champion; world record-holder in 200 and 400 (43.18); four-time world champion in 400 (1993, ‘95, ‘97, ‘99); has anchored three world championship 1,600-meter relay teams; 1992 Olympic 1,600 relay gold medalist; nine-time U.S. outdoor 400 champion; 2000 Olympic trials 400 winner; world indoor record-holder in 400.