Wariner

LONDON (AP):

Jeremy Wariner is aiming to break 44 seconds when he runs the 400 metres in London today, one of his last races before defending his title at the World Championships in Japan.

After a stellar 2006 - when he broke 44 seconds three times and set his personal best of 43.62 in Rome - the American has spent much of 2007 working on his speed and dropping down to 200 metres.

While Wariner hasn't raced a 400m since May, he's confident that today he will go below 44.02, the year's fastest time he set three months ago in Osaka, Japan.

"I'm in the condition to do it," Wariner said yesterday. "I've had a good workout this past week. My speed is back to where it was last year. My strength is a lot better."

Today's British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace and the meet in Stockholm, Sweden, on August 7 are the last events for Wariner before the Worlds, which begin August 28, in Osaka.

Automatic entry

As defending world champion, Wariner got automatic entry for the U.S. team. At the U.S. trials in June, Angelo Taylor won the 400 in the second-fastest time this year, of 44.05. LaShawn Merritt, who will also run today, was a close second. Neither has run under 44 seconds.

"With the way some of the athletes are running now, it's going to be harder this year to defend my title," Wariner said. "But at the same time, with the way I was running last year, I can do that easily this year.

"I can run a sub-44 - it's easier for me than it is for the other athletes because I've done that before and I know how it feels."

Wariner also has the eight-year-old world record of 43.18, belonging to his agent, Michael Johnson, in his sights. Wariner is trained by Johnson's former coach, Clyde Hart, in Texas.

"I know he sees it that it will come down," Wariner said of Johnson. "Being that he's my agent, he would like for it to be me."

Wariner has another of Johnson's records in his short-term plans - the 1,600-metre (4x400 metre) relay world mark, which he hopes to help break in Osaka. Johnson was part of the U.S team that set the current record of two minutes, 54.20 seconds, in Uniondale, New York, in July 1998.

"If we put the right team together, there's a chance we can break that," said Wariner, who was part of the gold-medal winning relay team at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Other top men competing today include Tyson Gay, the fastest man this year over 100 metres, Usain Bolt and Wallace Spearmon in the 200, Stefan Holm in the high jump and Reese Hoffa in the shot put.

Hoffa won the U.S. title in June and celebrated with a victory lap holding a turkey leg.

However, the colourful Hoffa, who also once competed dressed in a mask and cape and likes to juggle firesticks, wants to be taken seriously as an athlete.

Hoffa tweaked his technique after a disappointing throw of 20.81 metres in Madrid, Spain on July 21.

Changes

"It was my first meet of the year under 21 metres and I made a few changes when I went back home," Hoffa said. "This meet just gives me a chance to see if the changes that I've made in my technique will hopefully lead to a more consistent performance at the world championships."

Hoffa's best throw was 22.11 metres to win the world indoor title last year. This season, he's thrown 21.84, behind the leading 21.96 of U.S. teammate Christian Cantwell, who will also compete today.

The women's field includes Olympic champion Veronica Campbell, in the 200; Sanya Richards and Allyson Felix in the 400; and world-record holder, Yelena Isinbayeva, in the pole vault.