KUALA LUMPUR, SEPT 15: World record holders Donovan Bailey (100m) and Jonathan Edwards (triple jump) are injured. Frankie Fredericks is miffed. Nigeria banned. The athletics competition at the Games seemed doomed. The world of athletics is one of great romance; one where fans and athletes alike can spend evenings talking about Roger Bannister and Sebastian Coe.For fans here, all that would be a thing of the past. Ato Boldon, whose 9.86 seconds is just a breath away from Bailey's' 9.84s, wants to break the 100m world record here. Obadele Thompson, the World Cup winner and the world's second fastest man this year with 9.87 seconds, is already here to challenge him.Fredericks got over Namibian Prime Minister Hage Geingob's remark that he could not lay claim to greatness because his cupboard did not have an Olympic gold. And what's more he wanted to run the 100m. Add to the three, Darren Campbell and the young Aussie hope Matt Shrivington. The 100m cast could not have been better. Only Bailey, whose careeritself is in danger after an injury, and the Nigerians, Francies Obikwelu, Osmond Ezinwa and Seun Ogunkoya, are missing. But remember the top three in the world are here.The Kenyans have entered a star-studded field, but the question still remains if all of them will be here in time. Japheth Kimutai (1:42.76) and Patrick Ndururi (1:42.79) in the 800m, 5,000m superstar Daniel Komen in the 1,500m, Paul Koech (12:56.29) and Thomas Nyariki (12:55.94) in the 5,000m and Bernard Barmasai (7:55,72), the current Kenyan star in their all-time favourite event the steeplechase.Canada, who will miss both Bailey and Bruny Surin who also opted out, will fall back on Glenroy Gilbert, one of the foursome who won the Atlanta Olympics and Athens World Championships gold in the 4x100m. This is his chance for individual glory in the absence of the fancied duo.Australia will miss their superstar, Cathy Freeman 400m world champion, but they will nevertheless have Melinda Gainsford, who after weeks of uncertainty, hasdecided to run the 200m. But the Aussies have a surprise packet in teenager Nova Peris-Kneebone, who two years ago was part of the Australian women's hockey team.FRANKIE ARRIVES: Fredericks flew in on Tuesday and a Namibian official said he was set to run the 100m. ``As far as I know, he will run the 100 metres,'' Namibian Olympic Committee boss Gerhard Roux said.Boldon has said that he will make an assault on the world mark. ``What I need to break the world record is humidity, heat, a fast track and wind that's not blowing too much in my face. I'm ready to go,'' Boldon said at a special press conference at which he also announced that he would soon get married to his long-time fiancee, Cassandra Mills in October. ``This place is Trinidad. It's Trinidad with different-looking people. This is the weather. This is the weather I was hoping for. This is the weather I run best in. I don't want to put a limit on it but it could be 9.80 or better.''There are two finals on the opening day, the women'shammer throw and men's 10,000m final.
