Berlin  - Lamine Diack, the head of the world governing athletics body IAAF, believes that sprint superstars Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay can rewrite the history books at the August 15-23 world championships in Berlin.

In an exclusive interview with the German Press Agency dpa, the Senegalese Diack talks about his expectations in the big event, possible world records, the legendary Jesse Owens, the fight against doping and importance of the Berlin championships for the future of athletes.

dpa: Mr. President, after 16 years athletics is back to one of its "home countries", Germany. What are your feelings only a few days ahead of the major sports event this year?

Lamine Diack: "I am very excited, because this event is the highlight of our calendar every two years, and I am very pleased that we will be in the magnificent stadium of Berlin ­ with all its historical meaning for our sport ­ to show the world that athletics can recapture the excitement of the Olympics in Beijing. We have a great sport ­ and one that will bring more than 2000 athletes from 200 countries ­ to Berlin and Germany. So it is more than a sporting event but also a cultural exchange and celebration which will benefit us all."

What do you expect as the highlights during the nine days on the blue track?

Diack: "There are a number of events that will certainly be exceptional and I would like to recommend the German people to think about coming to the stadium, if they have not already got a ticket. The beauty of athletics is that there is something for everyone ­ whether you like running, jumping or throwing. And of course, if you come to the stadium, you are almost certain to see the legend of Beijing, Usain Bolt who will be running the 100m, the 200m and the 4x100m so he will be in action almost every day. His duel with Tyson Gay is certain to rewrite the history books of our sport."

Will Usain Bolt stand the enormous pressure to succeed and to show his fans at any case a "second Beijing"?

Diack: "I have had the chance to meet Usain on a number of occasions and the most striking thing about him is that he loves his sport. He is so relaxed when he competes because he is just out on the track having fun. So for this reason, I believe he does not put himself under too much pressure or suffer from nerves. I am very confident that Usain is ready to do something fantastic in Berlin and that he will also be pushed hard by Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell and the other top sprinters. I think that there are still some tickets left for Sunday evening and I urge the public to come and see something very special with their own eyes."

Which World records won't survive Berlin?

Diack: "The great thing about athletics is that there are always surprises, so hopefully one of these will be a world record that we do not expect. Of course, there are also some events where the world record is certainly threatened. One of them involves a German athlete ­ Ariane Friedrich ­ and the 1987 world record in womens high jump of 2.09 must surely be under threat. Ariane jumped 2.06 at the ISTAF meeting and her great rival Blanka Vlasic has also said that the Berlin high jump runway is a good one. So lets hope that this record finally goes! And of course ­ what can we expect in the 100m final? I am so pleased that all the top sprinters ­ of course Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay but also Asafa Powell, are in such great shape. If the weather is good and we fill the stadium on Sunday 16 August with passionate German fans, then I would love to see a new world record in the 100m! What I know is that all the top sprinters are extremely motivated and would love to achieve something special."

There are several events to honour the legendary Jesse Owens. What does he mean for the athletics world and do you see anybody from the current generation of athletes who can reach a similar status?

Diack: "Jesse Owens is surely the most iconic legend of our sport, and of course, won his four Olympic golds in this same Berlin stadium in 1936. I am very pleased that the IAAF supported USA Track and Fields initiative to honour Jesse by inviting his relatives not only to attend this event, but to meet the family of Luz Long, his great rival for Long Jump gold in 1936. I have happily agreed on behalf of the IAAF that they will be able to present the medals following the mens long jump final next week. In terms of who from the current generation can match him? What is important is that they try not only to achieve the same things on the track but outside as well. I was fortunate to have met Jesse Owens and spent some time with him. He was, without a doubt, not just an amazing athlete but an outstanding human being. So I would love someone like Usain Bolt for example, to try and match Jesse Owens not only on the track, but by setting an example outside the stadium as well. That is the secret.

Do the positive doping tests of some Jamaican athletes cast a shadow over Usain bolt? And do you think you have the best measures in place to ensure drug-free championships?

Diack: "We are still waiting for the full dossier on this case and a decision on these cases from the Jamaican federation. I expect this to happen in the next days. If there are indeed positive cases and sanctions to impose then we will do so, but you cannot say that because one Jamaican as broken the rules, then Usain must be involved as well. Usain was tested at the same time ­ as was Asafa Powell and others ­ and they have not recorded any adverse findings. So if anything this proves that Usain has NO shadow over him rather than the opposite. I also think that we have to be reasonable and expect that, if we test properly, we should have adverse findings from time to time. This shows that the testing is credible. Last year people were complaining that the Jamaicans did not have their own Testing Agency. Now they DO have their own Agency and they are testing, which is good. As for anti-doping in Berlin itself, this edition of the World Championships in Athletics will be subject to the largest Anti-Doping programme ever conducted by the IAAF ­ with 1130 tests anticipated (670 pre-event and 460 in competition). The samples will be tested at two labs in Germany ­ Dresden and Cologne ­ but negative samples will also be stored for testing at a later date should the need arise. But as well as the drug testing the IAAF plans significant educational activities with an Outreach Project and an interactive programme in 5 languages called Real Winner" which encourages direct interaction with athletes to raise awareness about the importance of anti- doping." more (dpa)