Beijing, February 4:

Maurice Greene sprang a little surprise on Monday — he’s retiring.

The former Olympic and world champion cited nagging injuries for his decision.

From Kansas City, Kansas, Greene was the dominant sprinter of the late 1990s and into the new century. He set a world record for 100 meters in 1999 and won the same sprint at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. He also won world championship 100m titles in 1997, 1999 and 2001.

At Seville in 1999 he also won the 200m and 4x100 relay golds in a rare triple. The following year, he won the 100m and anchored the victorious men’s 4x100 relay team at the Sydney Olympics, but did not run in the 200m.

His world record of 9.79 seconds stood from 1999 until 2002, when Tim Montgomery ran a 9.78 — although that time was erased when Montgomery was banned for allegedly using performance enhancing substances. Asafa Powell set the record 9.77 in 2005. Greene still holds the indoor 60-meter world record at 6.39 seconds.