Montgomery: Beating Greene was all that mattered

DISGRACED sprinter Tim Montgomery has revealed his burning desire to get the better of rival Maurice Greene was key to his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

COMING CLEAN: Tim Montgomery reveals his desire to overtake Maurice Greene pushed him to cheat (Getty Images)

The 34-year-old is currently 18 months into an eight-year prison sentence for bank fraud and possession and distribution of heroin, having been banned from athletics for drug offences in 2005.

The former world record holder, who clocked 9.78 seconds in Paris in 2002, spectacularly fell from grace, following revelations of his involvement in the BALCO scandal, despite never testing positive for a banned substance.

And in an interview with The Times Montgomery conceded it was his ambition to supersede Greene - the Sydney 2000 Olympic 100m champion - that drove him to cheat.

"Did I feel I was crossing the line when I was doping? No, not coming from the streets," said Montgomery.

"I'm not going to sugar-coat it, there wasn't even a second thought that I was cheating.

"I had been dealing drugs as a kid, so it just seemed routine

"It was all about getting one over the system and if I could, I would.

"Maurice got into my head real bad, I wanted everything that he had. I would have given anything to be the world's fastest and I wouldn't let anything get in my way.

"It was bad enough without him lining up and flexing his muscles the way he did and flicking his tongue. It was embarrassing the way he was out there clowning the other athletes.

"Our races weren't about the times we ran; for me it was personal. All I wanted was the person."