By John Bagratuni Aug 20, 2007, 9:52 GMT
Osaka, Japan - Tyson Gay aims to continue a proud United States sprint tradition but there will be three concerns at the world championships in Osaka.
Gay, 25, must beat world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica to win the 100 metres, will be without imprisoned coach Lance Brauman and must live with the fact that the last two fastest Americans, Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin, were drug cheats.
The 200m title appears a foregone conclusion, given that his 19.62 seconds run from the US trials in June is the second best result in event history, with only Michael Johnson faster in his 19.32 world record run at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
Gay came fourth over 200m at the 2005 worlds and, like Powell, will be bidding for his first big 100m title. The two meet for the first time this year in Osaka as both had injury woes in summer.
'I am really working hard and I am sure Asafa wants more competition. I want this to be a rivalry. I want to step up to the plate,' said Gay.
Powell ran the world record 9.77 in 2005 and twice in 2006. His 2007 best is 9.90 seconds.
Gay's personal best is 9.84, in Zurich last year and - into a head wind - at the US trials this year. Gay also clocked 9.76 seconds this year, but the tailwind of 2.2 metres per second was just over the legal limit of 2.0.
'I know I am ready to run fast,' he said.
'I think it will make it a lot more exciting waiting until Osaka and that is what I would prefer to do because when I step on the track to race him I want to be 100 per cent, no knee problems, no mental problems, fully focused and ready,' said Gay.
Gay said that Brauman has helped him a lot mentally even though the coach is serving a prison sentence in Kansas for embezzlement. Gay trains from a book provided by Brauman and they talk on the phone.
'My coach just said to stay patient and when the world championships come along it will all feel right,' said Gay.
Gay is also aware that all of his results are under close observation after US athletics, especially the sprints, have been tainted by doping in recent years, with last blow dealt when the world and Olympic champion Gatlin was caught last year.
'It will only take one winning sprinter, who never tests positive in his career, to make all sprinters appear in a different light again,' he said.
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