PARIS (AP):

Usain Bolt is gearing up for next month's World Championships by running tomorrow at the Areva Meeting outside Paris, and a world record in the 100-metre race at the Golden League event is not out of the question.

"I definitely think the world record can go any time," the Jamaican sprinter said yesterday. "Any time the weather is good, you never know."

Bolt set world records in winning both the 100 and 200 metres at last year's Beijing Olympics. He also helped Jamaica win the 4x100 relay in record time.

But his next goal is to unseat defending 100 and 200m champion Tyson Gay and win a world title in Berlin.

Silver last time

"I got silver last time," said Bolt, who finished second in the 200m and 4x100m relay in Osaka, Japan, two years ago. "I'm working hard to get the gold this year. It's very important to me to win the World Championships this year.

"It will be a stepping stone for me being a legend, if I win, so if I follow with a great year by winning the World Championships, I definitely can show the people that Beijing wasn't a one-time thing."

Gay, who is not running in Saint-Denis, ran 9.77 seconds in the 100m last week at the Golden Gala in Rome and 19.58 seconds in the 200m at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York in May.

Bolt holds the records with runs of 9.69 and 19.30.

"I don't fear any athlete," Bolt said of Gay. "No matter what time I'm running, I'm always confident in myself because I know I train hard and I work hard for what I want."

Bolt ran 9.77 in the Czech Republic last month with a tail-wind despite a bit of a struggle getting out of the starting blocks.

"We watched the race, me and my coach (Glen Mills), we found the problem so we worked on it a little bit," Bolt said. "I think I should have a fairly good start at this meet."

He then ran 19.59 in the 200 in Switzerland last week despite rain and a headwind.

Besides Gay, Asafa Powell is also skipping the meet in Saint-Denis. That could help Bolt increase his chances of setting a world record.

"You run better when there's less competition in the race," Bolt said. "I think it's much easier when your mind is free. The less competition there is sometimes helps you to break world records. You never know, it depends on the timing, the track and the wind. It's all about a few elements."

The field will include Yohan Blake of Jamaica, Daniel Bailey of Antigua, Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles, 2003 world champion Kim Collins of St Kitts and Nevis, and Olympic runner-up Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago.

'I'm always confident'

"Competing is always fun for me," Bolt said. "I'm always confident. You have to be confident when you go out there. You can't be down. I'm always a confident person when I go down the tracks.

"When I lose, I just have to really forget what I did wrong and just work on it and bounce back. I don't really lose confidence. My coach taught me one good thing: You have to learn to lose before you can win. For me, I've learnt that quite a bit, so even if I start to lose, I've got to understand what I need to do to get back on top." <