DOHA, Qatar (AP):

Disgraced American sprinter Justin Gatlin, after showing signs that he is nearing his best after serving a ban for performance enhancement substances, has now set his sights on the Olympic Games and the sport's new poster boy, Usain Bolt.

Gatlin, now 30 years old, described Bolt's performances over the last four years as 'breathtaking' but believes that he has what it takes to compete with the big Jamaican.

"Watching him (Bolt) perform great feats, it's breathtaking," Gatlin said. "But at the same time, he is a man and he still breathes the same air I breath. He still takes two steps to get to the line, like I take two steps to get to the line."

step up preparations

Gatlin, the 60m World Indoor Champion will step up his preparations with a 100m run tomorrow in Doha against former world record holder Asafa Powell and Nesta Carter, the man who picked up the silver medal in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships

For Gatlin, Doha will always be the place he made history even if his record is no longer in the books.

The American tied Powell's then-world record in the 100m by running 9.77 seconds in May, 2006. However, the revised time was erased after he tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone two months later.

"It's a very special place for me," Gatlin said yesterday. "The night that I broke the world record was a magical night."

Much has changed since he returned to the track in July 2010, with Usain Bolt winning the 100m title among three Olympic gold medals and smashing the world record in a blistering 9.58 seconds.

Gatlin matured in his time away from the sport and has a son who is about to turn two.

"I think I've become more of a man," he said. "I'm wiser, older, and I think I take competition more seriously.

Should he qualify, Gatlin said he won't feel any shame about his past. He's also pleased that British sprinter Dwain Chambers has a chance of competing in his home Olympics.

Chambers served a two-year suspension after testing positive for a steroid in 2003. He was then banned for life from the games by the British Olympic Association, but sport's top court recently overturned such bans, ruling they amount to a second sanction.