TYSON GAY was not even running when he discovered perfection. It arrived at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 and it is why he knows that great times alone can mean nothing.

“I remember watching on television as Michael Johnson won the 200m and broke the world record,” he says. “It was crazy how much he beat the rest of the field by. It was amazing. He had the world record, but he had the Olympic medal to go with it. I want more than just to be known as someone who runs quick.”

Johnson’s scintillating performance 11 years ago made a lasting impression on the teenager. Now 24, when Gay won the 200m at the US national championships in Indianapolis at the end of last month, his time of 19.62sec put him second on the all-time rankings behind Johnson’s 19.32 sec from Atlanta.

“Michael congratulated me,” said Gay. “But I did not have a conversation with him. He was at the trials and he gave me a nod of the head. It was a bit of respect.”

But Gay demands more, and this evening in Sheffield he is ready to show what all the fuss is about. He runs in the 100m at the Norwich Union Grand Prix, having already achieved the world’s leading time of 9.84sec this year, but he knows that the world record-holder has only just begun. Asafa Powell, of Jamaica, eased down when in charge at the Golden League meeting in Rome on his comeback from injury on Friday night as he triumphed in 9.9sec, and he could take some stopping at the world championships in Osaka next month.

The eventual clash between Powell and Gay, and there is an outside chance of it happening at the Norwich Union Grand Prix at Crystal Palace in just over two weeks, could produce the best 100m race for 16 years. On the last occasion the world championships were held in Japan, in Tokyo in 1991, Carl Lewis won the gold medal in 9.86sec when six men broke the 10-second barrier.

Gay now believes the 100m world record could be lowered to a level where either Powell or himself would be lauded more than even Johnson was for his 200m time. “If Asafa and I are in the same race with some other top runners, the record can go,” he said. “It could happen in Osaka and if everything is right, either of us can run 9.76sec.

“It can go as low as the 9.6sec also, and I do not know if it will stop there, though if that sort of mark was achieved, it could last a long time. It seems the 100m world record is broken every three years, but 9.6 could change that, though I do not think it would mean more to me than an Olympic gold medal.”

He races this evening against Britain’s Marlon Devonish, who himself has made a dramatic impact on the 100m scene this season, twice breaking his personal best, including a victory in Lausanne on Tuesday night in 10.06. He might not be able to match, or catch, Gay in the individual race, but Britain’s men are fast becoming the favourites for gold in the 4x100m relay in Osaka.

The world championship trials in just under a fortnight have a new name to look out for after Simeon Williamson, who runs for Highgate Harriers, beat the summer’s young star Craig Pickering to gold in the 100m at the European under23 championships in Debrecen, Hungary, on Friday.

The selectors could be spoilt for choice. Devonish, one of the Olympic relay gold medallists from Athens, will run the third leg because he is brilliant on the difficult bends, but the form of Williamson and Pickering may well see them chosen ahead of both Mark Lewis-Francis and Jason Gardener.

Devonish, 31, doubles up tonight, still unsure which distance he aims to concentrate on in Japan, although Gay will be running both sprints in Osaka. He cannot be avoided. At the moment, he cannot be beaten either.

Chronological history of the 100m record

9.77sec Asafa Powell (Jam) Aug 18, 2006, Zurich, Jun 11, 2006, Gateshead, Jun 14, 2005, Athens; Justin Gatlin (US) May 12, 2006, Doha, Qatar

9.79 Maurice Greene (US) Jun 16, 1999, Athens,

9.84 Donovan Bailey (Can) Jul 27, 1996, Atlanta

9.85 Leroy Burrell (US) Jul 6, 1994, Lausanne

9.86 Carl Lewis (US) Aug 25, 1991, Tokyo

9.90 Leroy Burrell (US) Jun 14, 1991, New York

9.92 Carl Lewis (US) Sep 24, 1988, Seoul

9.93 Calvin Smith (US) Jul 3, 1983, Colorado Springs

9.95 Jim Hines (US) Oct 14, 1968, Mexico City

10.0 Armin Hary (Ger) Jun 21, 1960, Zurich

10.1 Willie Williams (US) Aug 3, 1956, Berlin

10.2 Jesse Owens (US) Jun 20 1936, Chicago

10.3 Percy Williams (Can) Aug 9, 1930, Toronto

10.4 Charles Paddock (US) Apr 23, 1921, Redlands

10.6 Donald Lippincott (US) Jul 6, 1912, Stockholm