“Maurice got in my head real bad I wanted everything that he had. I would give anything to be the world’s fastest. I wouldn’t let anything get in my way.” This was the statement of Tim Montgomery when interviewed by the Times newspaper. He revealed many things about his personal life, career and how he got involved in performance enhancing drugs. Spending his time from an Alabama jail for bank fraud and drug dealing charges, Montgomery said that his rival Maurice Greene was the main reason why he decided to take performance enhancing drug. American sprinter Maurice Greene holds the record for the 100 meters which was later surpassed by Montgomery.

After the 1999 World Championships in Spain he decided to do something to achieve better record in the track and field arena. He left his coach Steve Riddick and join the group of athletes under the controversial trainer Trevor Graham. He set a new world record of 9.78 seconds in September 2002. But with his involvement in the BALCO investigation, his achievements were wiped from the records. He was forced to confess his doping which he said started since 2000 prior to the Sydney Olympics.

According to Montgomery, taking performance enhancing drug was not cheating. “Did I feel I was crossing the line when I was doping? No, not coming from the streets. It wasn’t even a second thought,” he said. He would grab the opportunity if he can take it and get away with it. “I’m not going to sugar-coat it, there wasn’t even a second thought that I was cheating. It was all about getting one over the system and if I could, I would,” he added.

It was not a big problem for him taking steroids. He narrated how he and former partner Marion Jones stored steroids in the fridge and hide needles under a pile of clothes. Marion Jones was also stripped off her medals when she admitted taking steroids in the Sydney Olympics. She also spent time in jail for perjury charges. she was also one of the athletes investigated under the BALCO controversy. Montgomery said that there were open discussions on steroid use between him and Jones. “We did discuss doping. But we just discussed the fact that everyone was doing it,” he said.

The sprinter also revealed his relationship with Marion Jones at that time when they started to set world records. He said that their partnership began when they took a flight to Rome in 2002. “Two hours later we were alone in a hotel room together. Two weeks after that we were crowned the world’s fastest couple,” said Montgomery. After six months Jones became pregnant. It was also interesting to note that Jones could make herself cry infront of the cameras and being able to pass a lie detector test. “Her best work was when she passed a lie detector test,” he said. The relationship of the athletes was made for the public according to Montgomery. “An athlete can be so consumed by being great. And we were too similar, we both wanted to achieve at any cost and you can’t have two people like that together,” he said.

Even the two athletes confessed that they took steroids to enhance their performance, they were able to pass doping tests. Montgomery’s dream of becoming the world’s fastest man became futile when he put his career to an end with negative reputation.

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