Athletics: Perec on way back

The long-awaited showdown between France's Marie-Jose Perec and Australia's Cathy Freeman could take place at the Paris world championships in August after Perec announced her return to competition yesterday.

The 34-year-old Frenchwoman has not raced or spoken to the media since leaving the Sydney Olympics in controversy in 2000, claiming to have received death threats on the phone in her hotel room.

But the 400m Olympic champion in 1992 and 1996 said she was now training in San Diego with her boyfriend Anthuan Maybank and coach Brooks Johnson with the aim of making it to the Paris final.