ROME, ITALY - No, it hasn't quite reached the level of, "Justin and Asafa who?", but there's a remarkable buzz in the Italian capital about tomorrow night's 400m face-off between world and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner and 20-year-old Xavier Carter at the Borotalco Golden Gala Golden League meeting.

At just 21, Wariner's been untouchable over the full-lap this season, and after winning by more than a full second last weekend in Paris -clocking his second career sub-44 in the process-- the young Texan gave the impression that his dash for a share of the $1 million Golden League Jackpot would be about as easy as such endeavors could be. Enter Carter, AKA 'The X-Man', the quadruple NCAA champion who on Tuesday, in just his second professional appearance, made a mockery of the all-time list in the 200 meters with his scintillating 19.63 performance to become the event's second fastest ever. What that performance might bring to his 400 on Friday night is impossible to say, but an important note to consider is this: Carter produced his 44.53 personal best in the eighth of nine races he ran in a four-day stretch at last month's NCAA Championships. Even he's curious to know what he can do on a fresh pair of legs. Wariner though needs little evidence to support the claim that he's clearly the man to beat. In Paris last Saturday, he eased up with more than ten meters to go, a finish that in his own estimation cost him at least a tenth of a second. As Carter said, "Tell everyone to keep their eyes open for it."

Richards aiming for GL win No. 3

Wariner is one of four athletes still in the running for a slice of the entire $1 million IAAF Golden League Jackpot; another is American Sanya Richards, who between her wins in Oslo and Paris, took home a top prize of $100,000 when defending her U.S. one-lap title. Richards, who trains with Wariner, is an overwhelming favorite to take her third GL win tomorrow.

"I'm hoping to go out there an put out a really fast time," said Richards, a training partner of Wariner's, who has clocked 49.27 this season, the year's fastest. It's a really exciting time in track & field now with 'X' and everyone running so fast, so I just want to join the club."

The biggest threat looming in the background is Vanya Stambolova, who lowered the Bulgarian record in Paris last weekend to 49.96 out of lane eight.

"She had a lot of success at the world indoors, and she ran really well in Paris," said Richards, who clocked 49.73 in the French capital. "I know that she'll get a better lane here and she has a lot of confidence so I expect her to run 49-low or whatever her potential is."

Powell's race to lose in Rome, no Gatlin-Powell match in London

Anything short of total domination by Asafa Powell in the men's 100 would be viewed as a disappointment, but the Jamaican co-world record holder isn't expecting to disappoint anybody as he sets out for his third GL win of the season.

Powell won last week's race in Paris in 9.85 after a false start, but said he could have dipped under 9.80 if conditions were more conducive for the sprints. In Rome, he said, "Hopefully I can do something special. If I run my race like I normally do, you can expect a world record."

In hindsight, Powell said he had some regrets about skipping Tuesday's Lausanne meet, with virtually everyone who was there in agreement that conditions were absolutely ideal for competition. "Maybe I could have done something that I wanted to. But I was feeling a little bit sore from my race in Paris and I wanted to take a rest."

Meanwhile, there was final confirmation on the on-again off-again London showdown between Powell and world and Olympic champion Justin Gatlin: it won't be happening. Powell's manager Paul Doyle confirmed his athlete's entry, while Gatlin, still on the mend from injury, will not be racing at the Crystal Palace after all. When the two will finally meet is still open to wild speculation, with the Van Damme Memorial in Brussels on Friday, August 25, the most likely.

Dibaba v. Defar

The brightest highlight on the women's distance program once again pits two-time world champion Tirunesh Dibaba against her Ethiopian compatriot Meseret Defar. Besides pride, Dibaba's stake in the $1 million chase is on the line as well. In the most thrilling finish of Saturday's Paris meet, Dibaba gradually narrowed a significant gap down the homestretch en route to a 14:52.24 win, just six one- hundredths of a second ahead of Defar.

"We know that Defar and Dibaba can run very well," said Meet director Luigi D'Onofrio. "But we know that one won't help the other to get a world record. Hopefully this will be a very fast race. We've tried to create conditions for that."

Jones: "I don't think I've run a really good race yet."

Marion Jones' comeback to form is also generating headlines, and while the U.S. champion has seen some positive signs in her recent races, she hasn't been wholly pleased.

"Technically I'm not where I need to be," said Jones, who nonetheless is undefeated in six races this season. "I'm a perfectionist and I don't think I've run a really good race yet this season."

Her 10.92 outing in Paris, her fastest since her 10.90 victory at the IAAF World Cup in Madrid in September 2002, was also a significant step in her comeback, she said.

"I was most pleased with my performance in Paris, because it's important to finally break the sub-11 stigma. I haven't really hit it in the past few years. I think it does a lot for my confidence. In training things have going well. I'm in better than 10.9 shape."

Jones said that this year she's a different athlete than the Jones who dominated women's sprinting in the late 1990s until 2002.

"In terms of my fitness, I'm probably more fit now," she said. "If anything I think I'm more mentally strong now then I was then." The biggest difference this year, she said, "is that I've put a lot of the allegations behind me and have settled whatever matters I've needed to settle."

Another difference of her comeback trail is the modest, by her standards, appearance payments she's been reportedly receiving. In Paris last week, Jones reportedly received a $15,000 payment to compete, before winning an additional $16,000 in prize money. In Lausanne, according to the French sports daily L'Equipe, she was given a flat $20,000 package, one that did not include additional prize money. The rumors in Rome vary wildly, but none remotely approach the $75,000 per race she was receiving in her heyday. Said D'Onofrio, who emphasized that Rome was among the first meetings to welcome her back: "I can simply say that Marion is fully aware that things are different now than they were a few years ago."

Elsewhere...

Both Liu Xiang and Dominique Arnold have withdrawn from the men's 110m hurdles. While disappointing for fans, it wasn't a complete surprise after both dashed under the previous world record in Lausanne just two days ago. I think we can understand his decision and can understand why he went back to China," said D'Onofrio of Liu's departure after his stunning 12.88 world record. "He is like a God there."...

Irving Saladino, the year's world leader in the long jump who has completely dominated the early portion of the season, said his 8.29 runner-up finish to Ignisious Gaisah (8.31) in Paris last weekend was a fluke. "It wasn't a matter of pressure," said the 23-year-old Panamanian, who has leaped 8.65 this year. "It was just a matter of some technical preparation and training last week. I will do much better tomorrow." Meanwhile, world and Olympic champion Dwight Phillips offered a blunt admission about his slow start this season: "Honestly, I just don't practice the high jump," he said, sharing a toothy grin. "I use competitions to get better." After winning everything laid before him since 2003, Phillips said his next primary objective is to chase the world record. And with some stiff competition for the first time during his reign at the helm of the event, he said, "I think this is going to be a great opportunity."

Besides the four still in the hunt for a slice of the full $1 million jackpot, another 14 -all the remaining event winners from Oslo and Paris--are still alive in the chase for the $500,000 pie.