Quarrie on the 100 metres candidates in Helsinki

When 16 of the world’s fastest men line up for the start of the 100 metre semi-finals on Sunday (7), Olympic champion Justin Gatlin will be in many minds the prohibitive favourite. But as Jamaican sprint legend Don Quarrie reminds us, anything can happen at a major competition.

"Gatlin is coming in as the favourite," the double sprint medallist at the 1976 Olympics said. "And (Shawn) Crawford will be a factor. But this is a World Championships. Anything can happen. And I think that's the beauty about it. And usually you see a few people winning (medals) that were not favorites. And that could happen."

Quarrie knows a few things about surprises in major competition. When he dashed to the silver medal in the 100 at the 1976 Olympics, he was beaten to the line by Trinidad’s Hasely Crawford, at the time, seen as an unlikely Olympic champion. Quarrie then bounced back to take the gold in the 200, and returned four years later to claim the bronze in Moscow.

"The competitiveness among the athletes is quite intense," Quarrie said. "And that's going to be the beauty of this championships. In many events you have no idea who is going to win. And so it will keep us very attentive. And I think the world should understand that."

Many of the sprinters who qualified for the semis certainly understand that.

Gatlin, who fought a strong headwind to win the first quarter-final in 10.27, was cautious, but the most upbeat.

"I haven’t run that slow in a long time," Gatlin said. "But I’m happy I made it through to the semi-finals, I’m still dominant and that’s what counts. Tomorrow I’m just going to come out banging and with my guns blazing. Rain, sleet or snow, it doesn’t matter. I’m going out there to try and win a gold medal."

"I’m just taking it race by race," said Ghanaian Aziz Zakari, a two-time Olympic finalist who joined the sub-10 club this season. "I can’t make any predictions. But I’m feeling very good."

Jamaican Dwight Thomas, who trains with Gatlin and Crawford, wasn’t even yet looking towards the final. "The semi-final is the hardest race," he said after finishing just 1/100 of a second behind Gatlin.

Darrel Brown, who much like his compatriot Crawford 29 years ago, has been overlooked in the sprints this year, was the fastest in the semis, running 10.10. "I feel pretty okay," said Brown, who two years ago in Paris was the surprise silver medallist in the event while still 18. "I feel more confident than ever."

Last year’s Olympic silver medallist Francis Obikwelu of Portugal was pleased with his 10.19 win in the heats, particularly after spending the past month on the mend from a foot injury. He insists though that he’s not out to avenge his loss to the American; rather, as Quarrie pointed out, he’s in Helsinki to be as competitive as he can.

"It’s not about revenge, it’s about sport," Obikwelu said. "We’re having fun. It’s not a war. Anything can happen. Anybody can win. It’s going to be tough tomorrow, but I’m looking forward to it."

Quarrie said that he’s seen one primary difference between the sprinters of today and his contemporaries.

"We were more graceful, and they are more powerful. I think that's the big difference in sprinting now. And we lasted longer. And not too many of the sprinters nowadays last for a long period of time."

"But I’m very impressed with the sprints today as far as the competitiveness," he said. "I am happy to see that. And I’m really looking forward to the finals."

Quarrie, who has remained extremely active in the sport since his retirement in the 1980s, is also very upbeat about the sport’s future.

"Right now everything is working quite well," he said. "There are major changes going on in the IAAF. They're cleaning up the sport. They're giving the sport back to the public. And back to the young kids. And this is the beginning of a new era as far as projecting track and field in the way that it should be."

Bob Ramsak for the IAAF