HELSINKI, Aug 4: Revenge is in the air as the world athletics championships approaches with three defending champions desperate to set aside sour memories of last year’s Olympics and regain their mantle as best in the world. Evergreen 110m hurdler Allen Johnson, Mexican 400m runner Ana Guevara and men’s 100m champion Kim Collins are all looking to prove a point — that they are not over the hill.

Johnson will bid to deny Liu Xiang from adding the world crown to his Olympic title and land his fifth world championship — though both aren’t in the best of form. Johnson has been nagged by injury during the season while Liu has admitted he hasn’t been feeling in the same form since he equalled the world record in winning the Olympic title in Athens.

Johnson, who says that even at 34 he feels he could make the 2008 Olympic team, is determined to become the first person to win five world titles.

“It’ll be tough but in Helsinki my focus will be on a fifth world championship title. I’d like to be the first athlete to go beyond four and win five titles,” said the 1996 Olympic champion.

“Going out early in the Olympics was tough to take especially when I saw what Liu achieved in the final and I thought right if we both had made the final what the time could have been so hopefully in Helsinki we will have a chance to take the event that stage further — with me winning of course!”

While Johnson has a good chance of achieving that goal given Liu’s lack of confidence Guevara must hope that Olympic champion Tonique Williams-Darling just has a bad week.

The Bahamian has had the hex sign over the muscular Mexican for most of the past year and crushed her in the Olympic final but Guevara is keen to restore her reputation as the best of her generation and has not raced as often as she has in previous seasons.

“The Olympic defeat left me feeling really flat and depressed,” she admitted.

“To have won the world title the year before should have propelled me to the Olympic crown because while it is nice to be world champion — they come around every two years while the Olympics is only once every four and it makes it harder to take the defeat as the likelihood of being around and at the top is not that good.

“Tonique is still the one to beat but I feel that I am running well and can stake my claim for the title.” While both of those world champions have genuine cause for optimism the same cannot be said for Collins, who is one of the most engaging athletes on the circuit.

However, since winning the world title in Paris — in front of more people than live on his home islands of St Kitts and Nevis — the miniscule sprinter has failed to counter his more muscular rivals like Olympic champion Justin Gatlin.

The only time he outshone the American was prior to last year’s 100m Olympic final when to the sound of Zorba The Greek Collins danced and clapped along with the rest of the crowd while Gatlin focussed solely on running down the track in the warm-up.

Collins, though, still entertains hopes of a medal and at the height of optimism the gold.

“I will not give up my world title easily. I don’t lay down for anyone.”

The Olympic champions have been warned.—AFP