Sprint queen Elaine Thompson-Herah has reiterated her desire to break Florence Griffith-Joyner’s 34-year-old world record in the 100 metres.
Jamaica’s Thompson-Herah is one of 10 reigning Olympic or world champions who will compete in Saturday’s Muller Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham.
The 29-year-old, who defended both her 100m and 200m Olympic 2018 crowns last summer in Tokyo, said: “I want to be better, to be the greatest female sprinter of all-time.
“It gives me the drive to get up in the morning to do what I’ve got to do. But the work has to go in. To get that record you have to be in perfect shape, have perfect weather and a good line-up.
“I will not put pressure on myself, but when that day comes I will nail it. I’m going to nail it. Whenever I get that race, I’ve just got to get it right.”
Thompson-Herah, undecided on whether she will compete at next month’s World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, will compete in the 60m in Birmingham.
“I want to go below my PB of course and if I could get the world record, no problem,” she added. “But I’m not putting myself under any pressure. I’m using these races to see where I’m at right now.”
Britain’s Olympic silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson will race for the first time since winning the Diamond League 800m final in Zurich in September.
The 19-year-old from Atherton burst on to the world scene in her breakthrough year in 2021, in which she also became European Indoor champion before breaking Kelly Holmes’ 26-year-old British record in Tokyo.
Hodgkinson said: “It’s been a lot of fun to be honest. It’s been like a roller-coaster dealing with it all, but I wouldn’t change anything, it’s been really good achieving what I always believed I could do.
“I’m excited to get out there. It’s normality going back into training because you do it for nine months of the year, so I’m just excited to get back out there, especially in front of a home crowd as well.”
Hodgkinson, who has targeted gold at a major event this year, will compete at the World Indoors and in this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
She said she hoped to run “something fast and hopefully to come away with a win” in the Grand Prix event on Saturday.
Jake Wightman, Olympic finalist in the 1,500m in Tokyo, said he was also hoping to produce something special.
Wightman, 27, said: “I think I’m in good enough 1,500m shape to hopefully PB indoors, which means that hopefully there’s a chance of a British record.”
Olympic pole vault champion and world record-holder Mondo Duplantis and world indoor 60m hurdles record-holder Grant Holloway will both be in action in Birmingham.
