Top United States sprinter Tyson Gay (right) stands on stage with Jamaican sprinters Asafa Powell (centre) and Usain Bolt, at Powell's charity event, 'A Night on Tracks with Asafa Powell and Friends', which was held at the National Indoor Sports Centre, Independence Park, on Sunday. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

American 100-metre record holder and the world's second fastest man, Tyson Gay, believes Jamaica can be marketed as a place for athletes to train.

Gay, who has in recent times played second fiddle to the world's fastest man and triple world record holder, Jamaican Usain Bolt, is of the opinion that with the country's great weather it would be ideal for athletes to train, given that the right infrastructure is in place.

"If all the facilities and everything comes together with the stadium and everything, I think it would be a great place to train," Gay said.

"The weather is great; I am trying to do some training in Florida because of the weather, so it wouldn't be bad because the weather is great and that's the key. And the food is good as well. Curry goat, ackee and salt fish and I tried coconut water today (Sunday). It was my first time trying it and it was cool, so I see why Asafa (Powell) and the rest of them eat (so much)," added Gay, who was a special guest at the fellow sprinter Powell's charity event - 'A Night on Tracks with Asafa and Friends' - which was held at the National Indoor Sports Centre on Sunday.

He added: "My rhythm is not up right now, my dance skills are not up but maybe they can show me some moves while I am here."

Gay is looking forward to start training next week after completing rehab following his groin surgery eight weeks ago.

Getting more technical

"I am out of shape right now so I am just going to start off by getting my wind up and then after that I am going to get more technical in the weight room," he said.

"I am not going to worry about lifting a lot of weights this year and getting big, I am going to worry about more technique in the weight room to improve some of the things that I have to do on the track."

Gay, the 2007 IAAF Male Athlete of the Year, does not believe that the United States' male sprinting is on the decline and expects some of the younger athletes to come to the fore.

"I don't think so," he responded when the question was posed. "I think once some of our younger guys like Mike Rogers and Walter Dix get 100 per cent healthy and stay mentally strong, I think they will rise to where the American sprinters need to be at," Gay said.

The US sprinter had missed Bolt's party earlier this month due to his US convention attendance, where strategies were discussed to help athletes who do not have huge contracts.

"Asafa Powell invited me here to his charity event and I didn't hesitate. Once he asked me to come and he told me it was for the community, for the kids and for the sport I came down right away," Gay said.

"It is great. He has inspired me to start my charity back in the United States to bring track and field together, to make it bigger and more popular in the United States and I think it is good to give back to your community.

"It shows that he is not just a superstar, it shows that he is a human being who cares about other people and helping people in Jamaica," he added.

Far-reaching impact

Gay, who was beaten into second in the 100 metres final by Bolt at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany, in August, believes Bolt's impact has been far-reaching.

"It has been major and the reason I can say this is because I live in the United States and I hear his name on television, on Top Plays on ESPN, everything and that wasn't going on at first but since he's breaking these records and that's what people relate to, records and medals," Gay pointed out.

"So it's been huge for the world. As long as he continues to work hard and break records he is always going to keep people interested."