“It was War” — Linford Christie and Maurice Greene on their Rivals

Asafa Powell, Linford Christie and Maurice Greene at the “Fast Lane Lifestyle” podcast 

When sprint legends get together, it’s never just about the races. It’s about the battles that went beyond the track. On Asafa Powell’s podcast, Linford Christie and Maurice Greene shared interesting details on rivalries and the mind games that came with it.

“They [my competitors] weren't nice, they took the rivalry off the track,” said Linford Christie bluntly. It wasn’t just about physical talent — you had to win the mental war too. “Everybody wanted to beat you. And I was the only Brit. Most other countries, like America had two or three [sprinters], Canada had two or three. It was like me against the world,” he recalled.

Being disrespected by rivals

In his first big race against the 1976 Olympic Champion, Hasely Crawford “I put my blocks down, and he just picked them up and threw them like I was a little kid,” he said, recalling the disrespect from rivals.

“They’d tell you about your mum just before the race,” he revealed. It was a world of brutal mind games where anything went and even the lane assignments were skewed to favour the stars. “They would ask Carl [Lewis] and those guys what lane they want. And they’d say, ‘I want this guy outside.’ It was difficult.”

Carl Lewis vs Linford Christie in Tokyo 1991

Carl Lewis – Christie’s most annoying opponent

When it came to naming his most annoying opponent, Christie didn’t hesitate: “Carl Lewis annoyed the **** out of me. He really did. I think he’s one of the greatest of all time, don’t get me wrong. But he doesn’t feel that anyone should be better than him. Move on, let people go. Let the next generation progress.”

Maurice Greene, sitting alongside Christie, agreed and shared his own stories of tension with Lewis. “He wouldn’t talk to me either,” Greene said with a laugh, “cause I ran him out.”

Tim Montgomery vs Maurice Greene at the Sacramento Relays in 2004

Tim Montgomery — Greene’s most annoying opponent

But for Greene, his biggest irritation was Tim Montgomery. “There was just one person for me: Tim Montgomery. He just talked and talked,” Greene said. The rivalry was deeper than just talk though. Greene was especially upset by Montgomery’s “Project World Record” campaign at a time when doping controversies were swirling. “Mother******, I will never let you beat me,” Greene said, unapologetically.

Track and field fans who followed their rivalry more than two decades ago may remember how Tim Montgomery told The Times he “was obsessed by Maurice Greene and wanted everything he had”.

Maurice Greene, Carson, California in 2004

The iconic fire extinguisher story

Reducing the tension, podcast host Asafa Powell asked Greene about the iconic fire extinguisher story — a memorable moment from 2004 in Carson, California. Greene laughed as he explained how he staged the moment after losing to Shawn Crawford just two weeks earlier in New York. “He was like ‘yeah, I got you.’ I told him, ‘I’ll see you in L.A’.”

Greene wanted to make a statement, so he found a fire extinguisher at an auto parts store, planning to put on a show. “Obviously, you can’t just run 10.0 or 10.1 when you do something like that,” he said. He eventually ran a 9.86s at +4.6 metres wind. “Kids still come up to me today like, ‘I’ve seen that video.’”

Christie and Greene both made it clear. Back in the days, rivalries were no joke.