LONDON - American sprint ace Tyson Gay is hoping to continue his fast build-up to the Olympic Games with a fast time in his 100metres clash with rival Asafa Powell at the London Grand Prix later this month.

On Sunday at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, the world sprint double champion dashed to and (+4.1m/s) 9.68-seconds, the fastest 100m time in any conditions to secure his place on the U.S. team for Beijing.

"I've met my first goal, of making the team for Beijing. I had begun to believe that I had those sorts of times within me, and now that I know what it feels like I am ready to keep going," Gay said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Crystal Palace is a fast track and I have a great opponent in Asafa so I'm sure we will give the fans a great race."

Gay's match up with Powell, whose time of 9.74 was the world record until his fellow countryman Usain Bolt rocketed to 9.72 in New York on May, will be the first since the American defeated the Jamaican at the world championships in Osaka, Japan last summer.

The two-day meeting at Crystal Palace which is scheduled kick off on July 25 is the farewell event for Britain's athletes before they head to Beijing.