BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Three-time European gold medallist Christophe Lemaitre is not ready to race against Usain Bolt or Tyson Gay, according to former Olympic champion Valery Borzov.

The 20-year-old Lemaitre became the first sprinter to win three gold at the European Championships after 100, 200 and 4×100 relay victories, but Borzov isn’t convinced just yet.

“He’s young and he’s strong but I’m a little sceptical,” Borzov said before yesterday’s 4×100 race. “He needs to get to 9.60 (seconds) and it’s not possible now, maybe only in a few years. I’m not sure he can compete with the Americans or Jamaicans.”

Lemaitre gained his third medal by running the second leg of France’s winning relay team at Barcelona’s Olympic stadium.

Lemaitre won the 100 in 10.11 seconds and the 200 in 20.37 in Barcelona. Bolt’s world records in those two events are 9.58 and 19.19. Gay has the world’s second fastest 100 time of 9.69.

Former Olympic champion Sebastian Coe didn’t expect Bolt or Gay to dismiss Lemaitre, whose personal best is 9.98.

“They won’t be laughing because competition at the highest level is not just about times,” said Coe, who twice won 1,500 metres Olympic gold and is the head of the London 2012 Olympics organising committee. “Lemaitre is 20, he has two very good training years and competitive years in front of him. He has to be quicker. It would be very surprising if he was slower in two years’ time than he is now.”

Borzov won the 100 and 200 at the 1972 Munich Olympics for the former Soviet Union and is a four-time gold medallist at the Europeans.