Published: Friday | August 9, 2013

Olympic 200m bronze medallist Warren Weir yesterday hailed the camaraderie among the Jamaican athletes for the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, which get under way tomorrow, noting that he believes it can only aid their performances inside the Luzhniki Stadium.

The Jamaicans enter the World Champion-ships shrouded by doping news after six athletes from the island tested positive for banned substances in recent weeks, including standout Veronica Campbell-Brown, Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson.

Missing several of its big names, many skeptics believe the team will struggle in Moscow, but the 200m standout sees a unified team, determined to leave a mark in the Russian city.

Weir, competing in his second international championships at the senior level after last year's Olympic Games, said that he has been encouraged by the vibe in the camp and thinks it will go a long way in settling the nerves of those, who are competing at this level for the first time.

"It's always one love among us. It's a young squad - a lot of us came up together from the Carifta and World Juniors stage, so it's a good vibe among everybody here," Weir told The Gleaner, hours before the start of the championship to be held at the Luzhniki Stadium.

Weir (19.79), the second fastest 200m athlete at the World Championships behind Bolt (19.73) after Tyson Gay's (19.74) provisional suspension for doping, added that he has adjusted well to the extra attention and demands since his Olympic run last year.

"My life has changed somewhat for the good. The bad part is that I cannot hide, but the good part is that it keeps you grounded and motivated because people expect you to repeat your performances from the past, like my performance from the Olympics, so it keeps me motivated," Weir said.

"Now I am just looking forward to the start of the competition. How fast do I see myself going? I think I will definitely be going much faster than 19.79," Weir said.