Fastest man on the planet Bolt takes his first steps to becoming a legend

The nagging, unanswered question of whether world champions had rocketed to the finish line with the aid of banned substances left the casual observer detached from the history being made in the once fabled sporting arena.

Ben Johnson, Marion Jones and Dwain Chambers besmirched the great name of athletics and heroes like Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis who had gone before them, and sports enthusiasts turned their backs.

Then along came Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis and the looming prospect of the London 2012 Olympics, and all was forgotten. Drug cheats will never be forgiven, but they no longer dominate the landscape.

When the World Championships begin in Daegu, South Korea, tomorrow, it will be for the amazing feats that people tune in and turn up.

Bolt is the primary reason. The Jamaican triple Olympic champion is huge box office. The fastest man on the planet, by some nonchalant distance, has elevated the sport and restored its credibility.

We will watch, jaws dropping over our Sunday lunches, as he attempts to defend his title at 12.45pm on Sunday, (8.45pm Daegu time).

The absence through injury of Asafa Powell and Tyson Gay weakens the field and even Bolt admitted yesterday that this has been a season spent overcoming injury, leaving him some distance off his world best time of 9.58sec. But, still, no-one will get close.

“This World Championships is going to be the first step to becoming a legend so it’s very important,” said Bolt.

Sheffield’s Ennis represents the hungry new breed of British athlete. She is favourite to defend the world title she won two years ago in Berlin in the final major meet before the small matter of next year’s home Olympics.

Phillips Idowu is a safe bet to do a lap of honour around the Daegu stadium with a British flag draped over his shoulders. Christine Ohuruogu, Mo Farah, Jenny Meadows and Lisa Dobriskey all know what it takes to win major medals.

Britain’s trips to the medal podium may be sporadic rather than habitual over the coming days, but there are dark horses, and two of them are Yorkshiremen.

Middlesbrough long-jumper Chris Tomlinson is coming into form at the right time having medalled at a Diamond League meet in Paris last month.

He claimed his first major medal at the European Championships in Barcelona 12 months ago, an achievement matched by Wakefield high-jumper Martyn Bernard.

That breakthrough came after Bernard collated all the lessons learned from previous championships to get his strategy right.

At the World Championships in Osaka four years ago, he cleared 2.21m in the final but did not jump again until the bar was set at 2.33m – well beyond his personal best – and he flunked and finished 14th.

Heeding that lesson one year later in the Olympic final in Beijing, Bernard adopting a more conservative approach to finish a creditable ninth, although British team-mate Germaine Mason won a surprise silver with a bolder outlook.

Undoubtedly talented but frustratingly inconsistent, Bernard got his tactics right last year in Barcelona to underline his promise.

But he is cautious about his hopes in Daegu after a build-up punctuated by niggling injuries.

“Last year was great with the Europeans and then the Commonwealths were not so great, so I’d love to get something out here,” said Bernard.

“But I have been injured and had an operation in February so while I’m looking forward to it, I am still kind of coming back to fitness.

“I had an ankle operation and I have had a few niggles since then during the season but I’d love to try and get to my second World Championships final and see what happens from there.

“I would have been further along the road if I hadn’t had an operation but there are no excuses.

“With the niggles that I have got, jumping two days might be hard but anything can happen in a final.”

While Ennis contests the heptathlon on Monday and Tuesday, other Yorkshire interest could see two White Rose men stood on the podium together as part of the 4x400m relay team.

Richard Buck (City of York) and Leeds’s Richard Strachan, both 24, have limited major championship experience between them and after failing to qualify for the individual discipline, they are restricted to challenging for a place in a strong relay team.

Sue Partridge, 31, contests the women’s marathon, while in the men’s race, Dave Webb, 29, of Leeds, runs only his fourth race at the distance.

“It is amazing to think that I only made my debut last year at the Seville Marathon,” said Webb. “Nothing prepares you for the big country marathons and getting used to it all and chasing a time.

“I can book my spot at London 2012 if I finish inside the top 20. I have what it takes to do that.”

This last gatepost on the road to London may not be littered with medals but the British athletes at least know in no uncertain terms that their head coach, the stern Dutch taskmaster Charles van Commenee, wants improvement. He chose the celebrations around the Olympic ‘Year to Go’ landmark last month to voice his disapproval at the team’s lack of progession.

* Aviva’s support, both at home and abroad, is helping the team prepare to compete at their best. Visit aviva.co.uk/athletics