KINGSTON, Jamaica— Retired Jamaican-born British sprinter Linford Christie avoided picking a favourite for the 100 and 200 metres, stating that “it is wide open” for the athlete who wants it the most.

He mentioned Jamaican rising sprint star Kishane Thompson and Anguilla-born British sprinter Zharnel Hughes as strong contenders for gold at the Paris Olympics, while also highlighting sprint queen Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as a potential winner on the women’s side.

“I think that Kishane [and] I think Zharnel have got a very good chance. I have just been with him (Zharnel) and he seems to be in good shape. But of course, sometimes you have to go for the old favourite Shelly-Ann because everybody loves Shelly. But it is wide open; it’s one of many people who can win it,” Christie said on Wednesday.

When pressed further to choose a single favourite, Christie emphasised the difficulty of making a prediction given the talented field.

“It’s difficult to have a deep feeling. When Usain was here you knew who was going to win, but this time it is the person who wants it the most that is gonna win,” Christie said.

“Because everybody now is trying to be number one, so whoever wins, we will claim that but I mean Noah has been doing a lot of talking and he is more confident than everybody else. We are hoping that Jamaica can still keep tradition, otherwise we move over to GB (Great Britain) with Zharnel. We gotta support Zharnel. I’ve been with him over the last 10 days and he seems to be in pretty good shape,” the retired sprinter added.