ATHENS, Aug 1: Glory beckons the sprinters on a fast track under the warm Mediterranean summer even as the sixth world athletics championships in this birthplace of Olympism could mark to a total change of guard as it gets under way at the Spiridon Louis Olympic Stadium from tomorrow.

Two elder statesmen and true champions, Carl Lewis and Lindford Christie have taken the final bow from world level competition after announcing they would be bidding adieu to the track this year while two others in polevaulter Sergei Bubka and the US long jumper-heptathlete Jackie Joyner Kersee have conceded that their days at the very top are almost over.

The four-time World individual gold medallist Carl Lewis is here thanks to the millions of his fans and despite the heroic fourth straight long jump title at the 1996 the Atlanta Olympics, he has decided to end his glorious career, and the 36-year-old Christie, the 1992 Barcelona 100m champion, who was dramatically disqualified in the final at Atlanta, has decided to follow in the footsteps of Lewis.

Ukrainian Bubka, the ultimate polevaulter who has made the setting of world records his favourite pastime and is yet to let any of his rivals touch the title in the world championships, for once, does not seem a hot favourite for the title due to injury early in the season.

Jackie Joyner too seems to acknowledge the physical wear and tear by taking part only in the long jump, that too under the shadow of Italy's defending champion Fions May.

If these four stir nostalgia of their halcyon days, the capital of Greece which has set aside disappointment of not being able to hold the Centenary Games last year, might well make up quite a bit.

Twin sprint bronze winner at Atlanta, Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago with US Championship Maurice Greene and Namibian Frank Fredericks are straining to upstage Olympic and the 1995 Gothenburg Champion Donovan Bailey of Canada in the showpiece event of the championships. All point to the falling of Bailey's Atlanta winning world record effort of 9.84 secs.

If Michael Johnson's dramatic loss to Bailey in the 150m duel at Toronto, subsequent injury and eventual wildcard for the 400m here had attracted much attention, the feats of Kenya-born Dane Wilson Kipketer will also be keenly awaited here.

The 26-year-old Kipketer claimed a share of the Britons Sebastian Coe's longest-standing track record when he climaxed a brilliant 1997 season by equalling the 800 metres world record of one min 41.73 at the Stockholm Grandprix.

His form points to the defending champion slicing further on Coe's mark set at Florence in 1981.

despite the once-in-two year routine and being the year after the Olympics, almost all top athletes of the world are here with the international Amateur Athletic Federation also providing the winners purse of US$ 60,000 besides the incentives for the silver and bronze winners.

With the twin 5000-10000m world record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia bowing to the wishes of his federation to participate here and the double Olympic champion Marie Jose Perec of France also accepting the wildcard though only competing in the 200 metes-despite an indifferent season, the stage is all set for hot competition.

The men's 100m looks a strong bet for a World record. Trinidad's Ato Boldon, pushed to bronze at Atlanta in both the sprints which saw world records tumble, looks the man alongwith the defending champion Donovan Bailey to beat.

Bolden's season leading 9.90 sec at Stockholm, where he also beat the 22 year old US Championship winner Maurice Greene (season's best 9.90 sec), and other consistent performances keeps him on top. Greene scythed down a classy field of Bailey, Bolden, Christie, Tim Montgomery (US) and Namibia's double Atlanta silver medallist (100m and 200m) Frankie Fredericks in winning at Lausanne on July 2.

Boldon looks equally strong for the 200 metres after a year leading 19.77 seconds. With Michael Johnson, the world record holder at 19.32 sec, opting to run only 400 metres, it should be Fredericks, Barbadian Obadale Thompson the 21-year-old who has a 20.03 seconds to his credit as third best behind Fredericks's 19.90 -- Patrick Stevens of Belgium besides season John Drummond and Kevin Little of the US.

Johanson still remains favourite for the 400m title despite claims he has not reached his usual rhythm after the injury which saw him out of the US Trials, won by Antonio Pettigrew. The 1991 World champion at Tokyo, Pettigrew also broke Johnson's 58-race winning streak at Paris and their duel should be absorbing.

World record holder Butch Reynolds has failed to qualify, but talented British runner Iwan Thomas, who ran 44.36 for the year's third best, will be three to add sparkle in the race.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.