Boldon feels like a sprinter again

Duel with Gardener: He faces Europe8217;s fastest man, Britain8217;s Jason Gardener, over the indoor distance of 60 metres on Wednesday night.

8220;I8217;m working my way back to race shape and I8217;m here to run a personal best,8221; a buoyant Boldon told a news conference. 8220;It8217;s the first time I have felt like a sprinter since last July.8221;

Boldon did not say whether he thought he could get close to the world best of 6.39 seconds set by Greene at the same venue two years ago. 8220;But Maurice has been telling me about the track here,8221; he said.

The super-quick track in Madrid8217;s Palacio de Deportes is situated at a helpfully high altitude of 640 metres above sea level, a considerable assistance to competitors in speed events.

Boldon will be competing in Spain for the first time since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, when he went out in the heats of the 100 metres.

8220;I hope my experience will be a happier one than the last time I was in Spain,8221; he joked.

Olympic priority: The Sydney Olympics later this year are more on Boldon8217;s mind than what occurred eight years ago.

8220;It8217;s the most important thing of the year and the aim is to be at your peak in the middle of September, so I8217;m having to be patient in my preparations,8221; he said.

Boldon is giving advice to American women8217;s world 200 metres champion Inger Miller on how to get ready for Sydney. 8220;The fact that the Olympics are so late in the season affects your preparation. However, I have as my reference point the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia two years ago. They were in the middle of September and I8217;m following that schedule,8221; Boldon said.

Miller, who 8212; like Boldon and Greene 8212; is a member of John Smith8217;s California-based group, will also compete in Madrid today.

She denied reports she had pulled out of a meeting in Ghent, Belgium, on Friday because of a local man who is said to be obsessed with her. Belgian police were reported to have told meeting organiser she was potentially dangerous.

8220;I was not scheduled to compete there but it worries me because I will go to Belgium at least once this year. It8217;s nice to have fans but I hope he8217;s not as crazy as he appears,8221; Miller said.

The Madrid meeting, however, has lost Spain8217;s Niurka Montalvo, the women8217;s world long jump champion. Montalvo pulled out on Tuesday with a knee injury which jeopardises her participation at the European indoor championships, also in Ghent, later this month.