African power to set Berlin alight (again).

The renewed clash of the Ethiopians and the Kenyans over the longer distances, and the sprinting sparkle of the Jamaicans, both remembered freshly and fondly from the Beijing Olympic give the World Athletics Championships in Berlin (15-23 August 2009) a completely different feel to that of the "Nazi" Olympics, the last major international athletics competition in the city, which took place exactly 73 years ago to the month. Clayton Goodwin reports.

The Americans should be ashamed of themselves, letting Negroes win their medals for them. I shall not shake hands with this Negro ... do you really think I will allow myself to be photographed shaking hands with a Negro?, Adolf Hitler, the German leader at the time of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, was said to have remarked about the prospect of shaking hands with Jessie Owens and the other African-Americans who dazzled at the Olympics that year.

Hitler would be totally flabbergasted if he were to rise up from his grave and see, in his capital city of Berlin (from 15-23 August), that not only are the Americans "letting the Negroes win their medals for them" but practically every Western European country today relies on their negroes to win their medals for them.

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Times change. And many thousands will arrive in the German capital to cheer Usain Bolt, Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba and a host of African and African-descended athletes in the streets of Berlin that once resounded to the raucous roar of the goose-stepping "brown (shirt) battalions" of the Reich. The spirit of Jesse Owens, the legendary American sprinter, dominates any preview to the championships. His name has been associated with that of the city since he won four gold medals in 1936--100m, 200m, 4 x 100m relay, and the long-jump. It was an impressive performance which was enhanced by the high profile of the occasion at a time of heightened international tension, and by the film director Leni Riefenstahl paying particular attention to the long-jump in her celebrated movie "Olympia". The myths which have grown around Owens' well-deserved reputation should not give the impression that he was the only African-American taking part in those Games. Ralph Metcalfe, for example, won the 100 metres silver medal for the second successive Olympics. Later in life he served from 1971 and until his death in 1978 as the Democratic Party's congressman for the South Side of Chicago.

Referring to the most famous myth of the time, the 400m winner Archie Williams quipped: "Hitler wouldn't shake my hand either." Of course he didn't--as head of state of the host nation, Hitler was required by protocol to remain neutral and not shake the hand of any athlete (at least, after the first day). His expressed attitude towards Owens and the African-American athletes derives from remarks quoted by two of his close aides. Baldur von Schirach, leader of the Hitler Youth, said that his chief remarked: "The Americans should be ashamed of themselves, letting Negroes win their medals for them. I shall not shake hands with this Negro ... do you really think 1 will allow myself to be photographed shaking hands with a Negro?" Albert Speer, Hitler's architect, remembers him as being "highly annoyed by the series of triumphs by the marvellous coloured American runner Jesse Owens. 'People whose antecedents came from the jungle are primitive,' Hitler said with a shrug- their physiques were stronger than those of civilised whites and hence [they] should be excluded from future Games." Tough luck. Nobody is excluded from the World Athletics Championships for anything other than lack of the highest international ability. All the spirits of the past will evaporate once the opening ceremony gets under way. Athletics is about the here and now--and there will be new heroes for us to applaud. There are "matters" left over from Beijing, though. Matters of pride and revenge, and matters of future promise. Now is the time for the next generation to put down their marker for the London Olympic Games of 2012. Even so, many of the current stars will still be around in three years' time.

While the Africans are expected to still dominate the longer and middle distances, they will need to keep looking over their shoulders at the progress made by the Chinese and Japanese. The USA, too, will be keener than most to restore their dented reputation. The Jamaican sprinter and Olympics champion, Usain Bolt, the current holder of the world's fastest man record, bears comparison with Jesse Owens. He is supreme in the sprints, the blue-ribbon track event, as no other athlete has been in the intervening years--not even Carl Lewis. It is difficult to see how, barring injury or accident, Bolt can be beaten.

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Asafa Powell, an excellent sprinter though he may be, and Jamaican compatriots such as Michael Frater, Ainsley Waugh, Marvin Anderson and Nesta Carter seem destined to fight for the lesser medals against an American array including Walter Dix, Tyson Gay and Shawn Crawford, and Richard Thompson (Trinidad & Tobago) and Churandy Martina (Netherlands Antilles), and Daniel Bailey (Antigua & Barbuda) from the Eastern Caribbean.

The Briton, Dwain Chambers, too, would hold his own in that company. There are no two opinions about Chambers -people are either "for' him or "against" him. Fleet-looted though he is on the track, Dwain has been wrong-footed too often by his gauche public relations approach. Not too many fans will weep if " the Londoner is not in Berlin, but they may join him in wondering what folk-heroine Christine Ohuruogu has got that he hasn't. Without Chambers, the hitherto strong British sprint challenge looks fragile. The Bahamian trio of Latroy Williams, Andrae Williams and Chris Brown has shaped up well in early season 400m races.

Abubaker Kaki (Sudan) is setting the pace at 800m where Wilfred Bungei (Kenya), gold medallist from Beijing, is still challenged also by fellow Kenyans including Alfred Kirwa Yego and Asbel Kipruto Kiprop, with the Olympic bronze-medallist Ismael Ahmed Ismail (Sudan) well in the frame. Amine Laalou (Morocco) has come on strongly here, and also in the 1,500m where he and Yego will come up against his compatriot Mohammed Moustaoui, Haron Keitany and Gideon Gathimba (Kenya), Youssef Saad Kamel (Bahrain), Augustine Kiprono Choge (Kenya) and Daniel Kip-chirchir Komen (Kenya), the latter two of whom are even better at 3,000m.

Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) can choose anywhere from 5,000m upwards and be almost sure of success--and sure, too, of a stiff challenge from the likes of Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya), Edwin Cheruiyot Soi (Kenya) and Sileshi Sihine (Ethiopia) who followed him home in the 5,000m and 10,000m in the Beijing Olympic Games.

The Kenyans are particularly strong in the long distances with--to name just a few--Micah Kogo, Jacob Korir Cheshari, Joseph Kiplimo, Levy Matebo and Moses Masai. Paul Kipsiele Koech (Kenya) has put in some good performances in the 3,000m steeplechase to apply pressure to Olympic champion Brimin Kiprop Kipruto and Ezekiel Kemboi. Saif Saeed Shaheen (Qatar) is a regular threat at this distance on the straight and in the steeplechase.

The marathon is one of the most popular and keenest-followed events. Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (Kenya) has progressed since his surprise victory, but has not shaken off the danger from Jaoud Gharab (Morocco) and Tsegay Kebede (Ethiopia). Although the marathon was once dominated by Haile GebreSelassie and could attract Bekele, a battery of Kenyans--world champion Luke Kibet has made a successful return from injury--have produced the fastest times in the early season. It would be a major shock if the event were to be won by a runner from outside these two countries.

The 400m hurdles is shaping up again to be a showdown between Angelo Taylor and Kerron Clement of the USA and the Jamaicans Danny McFarlane and Isa Phillips. The same nations are favourites to win the two relay races with Trinidad & Tobago and the Bahamas coming into the picture at 100m and 400m respectively.

While Africans do not have a tradition of triumph in field athletics, Godfrey Khotso Mokoena (South Africa) may well be among the long-jump honours as may be the Briton Phillips Idowu against the powerful Cubans in the triple-jump. Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly Ann Fraser and Kerron Stewart should lead a strong Jamaican women's sprint contingent. Experienced Americans Marshevet Hooker and, especially Lauryn Williams have been in good form this year. The impressive Laverne Jones-Ferrette (St Vincent & the Grenadines) at 200m may not be so well-known but she and Kelly Ann Baptiste (Trinidad & Tobago) have served notice that the threat from the Eastern Caribbean should not be under-estimated.

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Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie (Bahamas), the sprint "darling" of the Commonwealth Games at Manchester seven years ago, is back to her best (or very near it). Delloreen Ennis-London, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Lacena Golding-Clarke and Vonette Dixon have put Jamaica at the heart of the 100m hurdles. Perdita Felicien (Canada), too, may have another chance to realise the potential she first showed at Budapest in 2004. Christine Ohuruogu (Great Britain) shattered the favourite Sanya Richards (USA) with a memorable late burst to win the 400m at the Beijing Olympics, but, in Berlin she will be pushed hard to maintain her supremacy against Richards, Allyson Felix, Shericka Williams, Shereefa Lloyd, Bobby-Gaye Wilkins and Novlene Williams-Mills, the best of several formidable Jamaicans.

Pamela Jelimo and Janeth Jepkosgei, both Kenyan, and Kenia Sinclair (Jamaica) may battle out the 800m again with Maryam Yusuf Jamal (Burundi) also in contention. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia) has impressed recently at 1,500m, while Melanie Walker (Jamaica) has maintained her pre-eminence in the 400m hurdles.

Meseret Defar (Ethiopia) has achieved encouraging recent success at the longer distances in her attempt to make amends for a somewhat disappointing return at Beijing a year ago, and to cut back on the superiority of her compatriot Dibaba's battery of sisters--Tirunesh, Ejegayehu and Genzebe. Neverthelss Tirunesh swept so much before her, and with such comparative ease, in the Olympic Games, that it is hard not to foresee her repeating the feat in Berlin, although a new Ethiopian long-distance runner has emerged in the shape of Meselech Melkamu, with abundant potential to challenge the Dibaba sisters. Tirunesh's main rival, Elvan Abeylegesse (Turkey), has been in similarly impressive early summer form.

Vivian Cheryuiyot (Kenya) is well placed at 3,000m. Philes Ongori and Rose Kosgei, both also of Kenya, have had success here and at 10,000m. Else-where, the Ethiopians Aheza Kiros and Werknesh Kidane have returned fast times at 5,000m. A number of Ethiopians have come on strongly, as expected, in the marathon in which Catherina Ndereba (Kenya) took the silver medal at Beijing. USA, Jamaica, Canada and the Bahamas are among the sharpest sprint 4 x 100m relay teams--with the first named almost unchallenged at 4 x 400m.

Francoise Mbango Etone (Cameroon) achieved her hard-won triple-jump gold medal at Beijing and Margaret Simpson of Ghana has the chance of a medal in the heptathlon, but the disciplines here and the field events generally are dominated by Cubans.

Some things are much changed since Jesse Owens "set the world alight" in 1936. Then, despite the official Nazi attitude, he was allowed to stay in the same hotel in Berlin as his white colleagues and was mobbed by German fans. It is reported, however, that when he returned to his homeland, after a New York ticker-tape parade in his honour, Jesse was required to ride the freight elevator to his own reception at the Waldorf-Astoria. Black people were then still very much secondary citizens in the USA.

This August, the African-American athletes will return to a country presided over by a president of African heritage. Yet the pressing duties of President Obama have their echoes in the past. One of the most abiding pictures of the Berlin Olympics of 1936 is Leni Riefenstahl's crowning-piece of filming--the men's marathon into the twilight hours. It was won by Son Kitei of Japan. He was not from Japan as we know it. The runner was from Korea, a country which was then classed as Japanese because they had conquered the land and made the people "their own".

Korea--contentious? Where have I heard that before? Let's get back to the athletics, and make it quick--otherwise we may not be in time for Usain Bolt.