Athletics: Gay has a world aim

Aug 2 2007 Western Mail

TYSON GAY is not promising a world 100 metres record when he competes in tomorrow night’s London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.

But the world’s fastest man this year is adamant that each time he steps onto a running track, no matter what the conditions, it is his intention to make it his personal property.

That policy will see the 24-year-old American, winner of the US title in a world leading 9.84 seconds in mid-June, chasing Asafa Powell’s current benchmark of 9.77secs.

“I’m going after the world record every time I run,” said Gay, who earlier in the season, aided by a slightly over-the-limit tailwind, actually bettered Powell’s figure by one hundredth of a second.

The Kentucky sprinter, facing a world-class field in south east London including Olympic silver medallist Francis Obikwelu and British number one Marlon Devonish, claims he fears no one.

“I run my own race – and then hopefully run a fast race,” said Gay.

Gay has made superb progress this year after building on his 100m and 4x100m relay gold medals at last summer’s IAAF World Athletics final.

His unbeaten streak in eight testing 100m or 200m races has made him, along with Powell, favourite to lift both world titles in Osaka later this month.

It will be there he and the Jamaican will go head to head for the first time over 100m this summer and on a track reckoned to be super fast, the world record will definitely be threatened.

Given the huge budget of Friday’s meeting, it was expected the pair would be persuaded to have one sparring round before the heavy preliminaries begin in three weeks’ time.

Gay said: “I was kind of shocked that he isn’t running in London. (But) I have my schedule of where I was going to run and I assume he had his.

“But I think it is better to meet him Osaka. I haven’t been 100% for the last three weeks and he hasn’t either.

“It will make it exciting – I want to be ready and fully focused for that.”

There was also praise from the sprint ace for Marlon Devonish who ran him close over 100m on a cold and wet night in Sheffield last week.

Gay tipped the European Cup Super League champion for a medal, saying: “I think so – and he can run under 10 seconds.”