Jamaica against the world

BIRMINGHAM, England:

Like he had to do at last year's IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea, Jamaican sprinter and male Olympic team captain, Michael Frater, says though he expects training partner Asafa Powell to compete at the London Olympic Games, he stands ready to deputise if the need arises.

Frater also expects the fast-approaching Olympic Games to be among the most special for Jamaica, and warned that the team is ready to once again confirm their dominance in the sprints.

Powell was forced to sit out the World Championships last year after his groin injury flared up just ahead of the competition, with Frater making a shock announcement during a Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association press conference back then, that he will be standing in for his MVP teammate in Daegu.

After suffering another flare-up during last month's Jamaican Olympic trials in Kingston, which saw him leaving the island for treatment between rounds and subsequently withdrawing from a recent clash with Tyson Gay at the London Diamond League meet, question marks have been raised around Powell's fitness coming into the Olympics, and whether or not he will be able to compete.

Able to fill the gap

Frater, who finished fourth at the Olympic trials in Jamaica - outside of the three automatic 100m spots, says that as far as he is aware Powell, who was expected to arrive in camp yesterday evening, was fit and ready to compete, but that himself and others in the team are more than able to fill the gap, in the unlikely event that he cannot do so at the appointed time

"As far as I know, he (Powell) is ready to compete, but if there is any doubt and if anything comes up, I will be ready, and we have quite a few guys who will be ready to step in and do their best," said Frater, who also had a word of warning to the US and others.

"It's us against the world, we are the targets, we are at a high level after what we did in Beijing, and it has also continued over the years, and now everyone wants to take us down, even the mighty Americans," Frater said.

"The US were the sprint kings at previous Olympics and we took them down. We are on top now but we are prepared to handle anything they throw at us," Frater added. "Track and field is a sport, we are going out there to have fun. It's been fun for us and that's what we are going out there to do.

"We have competed against them (US sprinters) all season, we know what they are about and what we are about, and we will just leave everything on the track when the time comes," Frater charged.

- A.L.