Bydgoszcz, Poland - Sydney Olympics 100m champion, Maurice Greene, has tipped Jamaica's Usain Bolt to win the title in the blue riband event at the Beijing Games this August ,should the world record-holder decide to race in the event.

Greene, the former world record-holder (9.79 secs, Athens 1999), told the Observer he had pinned hopes on his countryman Tyson Gay to win in China, but following his 200m mishap during the US Trials last weekend, Bolt is the natural favourite.

A week after winning the 100m title, Gay suffered a left hamstring strain in the 200m quarter-finals and will be out of action for at least two weeks.

"The person I wanted to win (Gay) just got injured, but Usain Bolt has set himself apart from the group.he is the man to beat right now and it's going to be tough to beat him," Greene told the Observer from the warm-up area of Stadion Zdzislawa ,where he is meeting athletes competing at the World Junior Championships here.

Bolt became the fastest man over 100m on May 31 when he clocked 9.72 seconds at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York, lowering the 9.74 mark set by another Jamaican, Asafa Powell, in Italy last September.

Bolt won the sprint double at the Jamaica Senior Championships on June 28-29, but has yet to confirm if he will run both events at the Olympics.

"Impressive.this man just came out.no one expected him to do any of this stuff and to run 9.76 and then he comes back and runs 9.72.that is impressive to me," Greene responded to Bolt's quick times this year.

Greene, the first man to win both 100 and 200 at an IAAF World Championships (Seville 1999), is now an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ambassador.

He was also candid about Powell's title chances in Beijing: "Asafa has always had problems in championship races and until he is able to overcome those problems I can't say he is favourite," he said.

"He is a great talent and runs very well when the competition is not there, but when you have people to come up and challenge him, it seems he doesn't run his best races that way."

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