European 100 metres champion, James Dasaolu, said he is pitting himself against the world’s best sprinters on Friday because he feels in such good shape.
The Briton, 27, will come up against controversial sprinter Justin Gatlin in the Diamond League opener in Doha.
Injuries have been as much a part of Dasaolu’s career as successes.
But he said: “The year has been injury free. Normally I’d open up in June but everything’s been going well so I want to get the ball rolling.”
Dasaolu, Britain’s second fastest man in history, won his first major title last summer at the European Championships in Zurich.
It was his long-awaited breakthrough, achieved despite not competing outdoors until July because of a hamstring injury and squeezing only three races into the build-up to Zurich.
That injury, sustained while racing indoors last February, is why the Croydon athlete restricted his commitments to one 60m race this year – a 6.52-second run in January, the second fastest by a European.
Having used last season as a “stepping stone,” Dasaolu is now ready to regularly compete against the best in the world.
“I’m always a believer in racing against these guys and getting used to running against them so come the World Championships I’ll be used to running against them,” he said before Friday’s 100m race in the Qatari capital.
“There will always be an element of nervousness in the championships but there won’t be that element of uncertainty.”
Friday will also be Gatlin’s first 100 m race of the season. The American is a divisive character, splitting opinions after returning to the sport in 2010 following a second doping ban.
