Knee injury may hamper javelin thrower

By ELLIOTT DENMAN

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - The status of Breaux Greer's left knee - and its completely torn anterior cruciate ligament - is one of the big question marks as the USA track and field team prepares to swing into Olympic action.

Will it hold up when the world's finest javelin throwers have it out in preliminaries Aug. 26 and finals two days later?

Or will it buckle and crumple, taking out America's best hope for a javelin gold medal in 52 years?

If Greer, a two-time Olympian by way of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, is worried, he's not letting on.

``Oh, it's still attached,'' he said Wednesday from the American training camp on Crete.

``No problem. I'm not worried. Not at all,'' said Greer, 27, who lives and trains in Athens, Ga.

``Anyway, it's getting better ever day, and nothing's going to take me out of this now, nothing.''

This the second consecutive Olympic Games for the U.S. to have just a single entry in the men's javelin throw.

Greer is a solo act because no other USA thrower reached the Olympic ``A'' standard of 268 feet, 4 inches.

``They have some great rehab people here,'' said Greer. ``I'm doing everything I have to, lifting, stretching, getting plenty of massage, whatever it takes.''

It takes a very good brace to keep Greer's knee from getting any worse, and it has posed no obstacle to his throwing technique thus far.

He won easily at the Olympic Trials last month in Sacramento with a Trials record throw of 270 feet, 4 inches.

He'd moved up in the Olympic picture with his 286-8 effort at Bergen, Norway, in June, an American record performance, but suffered the knee injury in the process.

He appeared in fine form at an Aug. 6 meet in Zurich with an event-winning throw of 283-10, topping two of Finland's best, Esko Mikkola and Tero Pitkamaki.

Heading into the Games, Greer ranks third on the year list, trailing only Alexandr Ivanov of Russia (287-9) and Andrus Varnik of Estonia (287-4.)

But still in the mix is legendary 38-year-old Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic, gold medalist in the last three Olympics. He ranks eighth in the world for 2004 with a best of 282-6.

Greer will leave Crete by the end of the week and check into the Olympic Village.

``And that's going to get me even more excited,'' he said. ``Right now, I'm just sitting around, watching a lot of other guys win medals (on TV). I want one of my own.''