Paris – Usain Bolt will be seeking to further hone his technique ahead of the world championships in South Korea later this month when he races the 200m at the Diamond League meeting here on Friday.
It will be just the second time this season that the reigning world and Olympic double sprint champion, who is also world record holder in both the 100 and 200m, runs the longer distance.
“It's only my second 200m of the season (after winning in Oslo) and I'm just working on technique. It's all about execution in this race, and trying to get the perfect execution,” said the 24-year-old Jamaican.
“I've got no time on my mind. If I get a good run off the corner and my technique is right it should be a good time. A fast time should come if I get it right.”
Bolt will be up against training partner and fellow Jamaican Mario Forysthe and also Panama's Alonso Edwards, the reigning world silver medallist who is working his way back from injury but looked in good form in winning Tuesday's Reims international meet.
Edwards pipped Forsythe by one-hundredth of a second for victory in 20.28sec, with the time likely to go a lot faster come Friday.
Cuban world record holder Dayron Robles was also an athlete to win in Reims, finishing in an impressive 13.16sec over the 110m hurdles against a 2.0 metre/second wind.
The Olympic champion said he had a clear goal going into the Paris meet at the Stade de France.
“I'm in good shape to run in Paris and hopefully run under 13 seconds,” he said in reference to a feat he has achieved on eight occasions, the last coming in September 2008.
But the Cuban remains undefeated in six races this summer, and he seems ready to challenge American David Oliver in Saint-Denis.
Jamaican women's sprint star Veronica Campbell-Brown will be looking to bounce back from a rare false start in Reims.
The double Olympic 200m champion and former world champion at 100m was disqualified for shooting out of her blocks too early in the 100m, which was won by Trinidadian Kelly-Ann Baptiste in 11.11sec.
“I have no idea what happened, I'm just disappointed,” Campbell-Brown said. “I'll try to figure out what went wrong and fix it for my next race.
“I'm not the kind of athlete to false start, I think I did it once indoors, but it's not like I'm guessing the gun or anything like that, it's not me.
“Now I'll have to re-program myself mentally to make sure it won't happen anymore.”
Elsewhere on the track, South Africans Oscar Pistorius and Caster Semenya run in the men's 400m and the women's 800m respectively.
Semenya, the reigning world champion finished last in the 1500m in the Lausanne Diamond League last week, and failed to show any great improvements to her current form in Reims.
The pacemaker went through 400m in 59.03sec, and Semenya immediately fell off the pace and down the pack. Cuban Yuneysi Santiusti eventually won in 2:00.15, with Semenya coming in fifth in 2:01.02.
“It wasn't my day so I'll wait for next time,” said Semenya, who clocked a jaw-dropping personal best of 1:55.45 in storming to victory at the 2009 Berlin worlds but was cast into limbo soon after until July 2010 because of allegations over her true gender.
“I'll be ready for Friday.”
Pistorius, dubbed 'bladerunner', had both lower legs amputated when he was 11 months old and after being cleared to run is now seeking a 45.25sec by June 20 to qualify for the world championships.
The 24-year-old Paralympic champion, who runs on springy, lightweight, J-shaped limbs called “Cheetahs”, missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics qualifying mark by just 0.3sec and will be going for broke in Paris. – Sapa-AFP