Dai Greene insists he can bounce back from a disappointing performance at the European Team Championships in time to defend his World Championship title in Moscow this August.
The 400m hurdler will face off against a strong field this Sunday at the Sainsbury's Grand Prix in Birmingham, including Olympic champion Felix Sanchez.
Greene failed to win at the event for the first time in three years last Sunday when Germany’s Silvio Schirrmeister beat him to the line in Gateshead.
It was only his second race this season, the other saw him place fifth at the Diamond League in Rome, as he continues his comeback from a double hernia operation in March.
And while he admits he still needs to improve he is looking forward to a chance to make amends this weekend.
He said: “There’s some very good athletes there, some of the fastest in the world. It’s always been a strong field when we hold the diamond leagues and I’m looking forward to testing myself.
“It’s a really true test and we’ll see what kind of shape people are in when it comes to the World Championships.
“I was disappointed with how I did in Gateshead. I didn’t expect the other chaps to run as well as they did and I was caught napping a bit technically.
“I’m probably six weeks behind schedule, so hopefully by the end of this month my times will start to come down a bit.
“It was just unfortunate timing really when I had to have my operation and it’s delayed the work that we wanted to do but every race should become easier."
Greene’s preparation’s for London 2012 were also frustrated by a winter knee injury and he just missed out on a medal in front of the home crowd.
But the 27-year-old believes that this year he will be able to catch up with the rest of the field and peak when it matters.
“I am confident because I know I have the time to improve. It’s getting easier in training to knock off the sessions,” he added.
“I’ll be a lot more confident going into Moscow knowing that I’ve competed against the best guys and be competing for the medals when it matters.
“I do find it easier to run in races against some of the top guys because I know I’ve got to be at my best.”
Dai Greene will compete at the Sainsbury’s Grand Prix – Birmingham on Sunday 29 June. For further information visit www.britishathletics.org.uk
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