Diamond Debate | Yohan to test speed

Andre Lowe: "Yohan Blake will test his speed ahead of the World Championships with an interesting 100m race in Rabat."

Raymond Graham: "Yes, he really needs to, as he has not been competing regularly, and it will be interesting to see what kind of shape he is in now."

Andre Lowe: "I think his limited competition is by design. His management team is hand-picking his races and pacing his preparation ahead of the championships. This is a good line-up for him, and a good performance here will continue to build his confidence, and we know that Blake is a sprinter who needs to feel confident and assured in his readiness to show his best."

Raymond Graham: "True. No one has taken the event by storm this year, and Blake, after three back-to-back sub-10 seconds and a best of 9.90 seconds, is the fastest in the field and is expected to go all the way, and it will be interesting to see what time he does."

Andre Lowe: "That's true. The event seems very competitive, and Blake has already shown himself to be a medal favourite in London next month. Rabat will be warm, 31 degrees or so, so it won't be the best conditions, but another low-9.9 seconds time will certainly force people to really consider their positions on the medal podium."

Raymond Graham: "It is extremely warm here, and the conditions could affect the times. Youssef Ben Meite of the Ivory Coast has been in some good form of late, and with his quick start, he's expected to lead, but Blake will nab him close to home and win in around 9.94 seconds."

Andre Lowe: "Yes, Blake has been strong in the final phase of the race, but he has also shown improvements in his start. I don't think anyone in this field will really challenge the Jamaican, and despite the expected warm weather, I expect him to get even closer to his 9.90 season best. I won't rule out Blake running 9.8 high either."