Athletics: Gay's warning

Gay: Looking good

I knew it was wind-aided, so of course it doesn't go into the books, but it still lets me know that my legs are ready to turn over faster.

Tyson Gay
Quotes of the week

Tyson Gay warmed up for his World Championship showdown with Usain Bolt by running a wind-assisted 9.75sec in the 100m heats at the US athletics championships.

Gay - running in his first 100m race of 2009 following an injury-marred 2008 campaign - posted the seventh-fastest time ever run under any conditions, with a wind of 3.4m/sec at his back.

The brief appearance was Gay's only one of the four-day meeting. As defending world champion in the 100m and 200m, Gay has a bye into both events at the World Championships in Berlin in August, and secured his inclusion in the US team with his first-round start.

After consultation with his coaches he decided that he would stick to his plan to skip the remaining rounds.

He is playing down the significance of the time, though, and feels he can still improve as he sets to take on 100m and 200m Olympic champion Bolt.

"Technically it was horrible," he said. "The false start threw me off.

"I had too much going through my mind. When I got out of the blocks, I felt sloppy, felt someone beside me.

"I think it was Leroy Dixon, who was winning until about 60. Then I caught up with the field and tried to run relaxed through the finish line.

"I knew it was wind-aided, so of course it doesn't go into the books, but it still lets me know that my legs are ready to turn over faster."