YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) - Maurice Greene and Justin Gatlin, former and current Olympic 100-metre champions, will face each other again in a season-ending event at the Yokohama track and field meet Thursday.
Former world 100m record holder Greene defeated Gatlin by one hundredth of a second in the US Trials for the Athens Olympics in July in 9.91, but failed to defend the Olympic title, finishing third in 9.87.
Gatlin, the winner of the 100m with the season's fastest time of 9.85, also took the bronze medal in the 200m and joined hands with Greene to take the silver in the 4x100m relay in Athens.
"The young guys are coming but I am not done yet. I am still coming back. I am still the greatest in the world," said a defiant Greene, 30, after the defeat.
"When you look at the things that I've achieved, I'm making it difficult for the next person to come along and do what I did," added the three-time world champion.
Gatlin retorted: "Maurice is one of the greatest competitors in the world. However this is a new era, the young guys are coming."
In Yokohama, they will face challenges from Atlanta Olympic silver medallist Frankie Fredericks of Namibia, fellow American Leonard Scott, Australia's Patrick Johnson and Japan's Nobuharu Asahara.
Other Olympic champions to compete here include Timothy Mack of the United States (pole vault) in the men's events, and Russia's Yelena Slesarenko (high jump), Tatyana Lebedeva (long jump) and Olga Kuzenkova (hammer) in the women's.
Otis Harris of the winning US 4x400m team will run in the 200m race for which he took the silver in Athens.