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Garboesque Perec keeps the opposition guessing
SYDNEY, Sept 11 (AFP) - Triple Olympic champion Marie-Jose Perec of France has been gaining something of a Greta Garbo reputation since her arrival for the Olympic Games here Friday. The unpredictable 32-year-old athlete has remained behind closed doors in her hotel room refusing to answer questions, or even venture out to train as she bids for her fourth Olympic gold. "I have no news unless it's through the French Olympic Committee," admitted the French national team's technical director Richard Descoux, from the base at Narrabeen, in New South Wales. "I know that she's looking for a stadium in which to train. If she wants she's welcome at Narrabeen. I've always said that the camp is open to all French athletes," said Descoux. But few imagine that the reclusive Guadeloupe-born Perec, nicknamed the 'Gazelle', who has always boosted of her ability to succeed by her own methods, will accept the invitation from Descoux, with whom she has something of a strained relationship. She is none too happy about the failure to gain accreditation for her American partner Anthuan Maybank. "I've made it known that everything is in place for her coach (Wolfgang Meier), but I have no accrediation available for her friend," said Descoux. There had been doubt whether Perec, who completed the 200-400m double in Atlanta four years ago, would even turn up in Sydney. Perec, who also won the 400m in Barcelona in 1992, has has been racked by injury having been diagnosed shortly after the 1996 Games with the strength-sapping Epstein-Barr syndrome and has barely raced since. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Perec told her critics two weeks ago. "Between now and the Olympic 400m final there are three races. I'll use each one to get into gear," said the track star, adding that before the Atlanta Games she only competed in three competitions. But four years have passed since her remarkable double and it remains to be seen whether she is physically capable of delivering the goods. Her main rival is expected to be Australian Cathy Freeman, who has recorded the fastest 400m time of this year, although it was over a second slower than Perec's Atlanta gold medal winning run of 48.25 seconds. Two-time world champion Freeman was just beaten by Perec for the 400m Olympic gold four years ago. All will be revealed from September 22.
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