Rio Olympics 2016:track and field with one month to go

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Superstar: Usain Bolt is the reigning 100m Olympic champion. Photo: Brendan Esposito

Russian athletes remain doubtful to be on the track in Rio another drug cheat stands poised to claim gold in the Olympics' premier event.

A month out from the Olympics opening ceremony American drug cheat Justin Gatlin – twice banned for positive drug tests – has run the quickest time this year for the 100m sprint when he won in 9.80s in the US. Gatlin has served both his drug bans and is free to return to compete.

Last year at the World Championships in Beijing the world's fastest ever man Usain Bolt overcame sluggish form to defeat the drug tainted American who choked in the final after running the five fastest times in the world for the year leading up to the final.

The IAAF can only hope the Jamaican again helps rescue the sport, which is finally cleaning some of its own grubby history by wiping out the state-sponsored Russian dopers from the Games.

That Bolt has a 'grade one hamstring strain' that forced him to pull out of the Jamaican national titles final at the weekend and rush for urgent treatment in London and Germany suggests he will have his own personal battle this year without carrying the burden of the rest of the sport.

by Michael Gleeson