Ato sixth in Oslo
By KWAME LAURENCE


Ato Boldon finished sixth in the men's 100 metres dash at the
Bislett Games Golden League meet in Oslo, Norway yesterday.


And though the Trinidad and Tobago track star got home in 10.35
seconds, he was not a disappointed man, ahead of next Tuesday's
clash with Maurice Greene and Tim Montgomery in Lausanne,
Switzerland.


"The leg held up fine. The only thing was that when I hit the wall
at 60, it was really, really bad. But that's because I came off the
plane last night."


Boldon, whose 2003 campaign has been plagued by a right quadriceps
injury, arrived in Norway on Thursday evening, just a day ahead of
his European opener.


Britons Mark Lewis-Francis and Dwain Chambers claimed the top two
spots in the Oslo century, in 10.12 and 10.15, respectively.
Australian Matthew Shirvington (10.25) finished third.


Boldon told the Express, yesterday, there were many positives coming
out of the Oslo race.


"I had the best reaction time of the meet, and was actually leading
at 60. This is the first 100 I've run for the year with absolutely
no pain," he continued. "And as long as the leg is fine, I can run
some 200s and work on the end of my race."


The 29-year-old sprinter added that a conversation with his coach,
John Smith, helped him put his Bislett Games performance into
perspective.


"He reminded me that even when I was running 9.8 every week, my
first race was always one that's off."


Boldon said he has a 2003 checklist.


"My weight, which is at 175 pounds...that's perfect. My back, which
hasn't been a factor for a long time. My confidence...this race
hasn't shaken it at all. And finally, being in Europe for a while."


The quadruple Olympic medallist plans to run the 100 in Lausanne,
and both sprints at Golden League meets in Paris, France and Rome,
Italy.


However, he is not likely to double at the August 23-31 World Track
and Field Championships in Paris.


"I don't think I'll run both. The plan is to prepare for the 100 and
200, but to run one. Though I've only run three of them since the
Olympic final," Boldon ended, "most likely I'll do the 200 in Paris."