Athletics: Campbell lines up for Montgomery record bid

The Olympic 200 metres silver medallist, Darren Campbell, faces one of the hottest races of his career in Mexico City today, when he competes against a field including the world 100m record holder, Tim Montgomery, in the Banamex Grand Prix.

Campbell, coming towards the end of a spell of warm-weather training in California, is scheduled to race over 100m before tackling his speciality half-lap sprint later in the evening. The Mancunian, a former European 100m gold medallist, could play a part in a historic encounter, with Montgomery adamant he can lower his world record of 9.78sec, set in Paris last September, against a field also featuring other top sprinters from the United States, Jon Drummond and Coby Miller.

"It's my first race since Paris last September and I'm looking forward to going out there on Saturday and breaking my own world record," said Montgomery, who has run only a relay leg this season, but insisted: "It's possible. I'm in better shape than when I broke the world record last year. This means a lot to me mentally. The track record is 9.95sec – I'm going to go under 9.90sec."

Over 200m Campbell will come up against Justin Gatlin, the 21-year-old American who left the field for dead when winning the World Indoor 60m gold medal in Birmingham in March. The world silver medallist, Chris Williams, of Jamaica, is in the race, along with the European indoor 400m bronze medallist, Jamie Baulch, who has been with Campbell preparing for the summer season.

Another Fast Track athlete racing is the Commonwealth 400m hurdles silver medallist, Matt Elias, who has been given a place in the 400m flat.