Manchester Great City Games
Date: 16 May Coverage: Great Manchester Run 1000-1130 BST & Great City Games 1630-1800 BST live on BBC Two and BBC Sport website (UK users only)
Watch Tyson Gay win the 200m at Crystal Palace in 2009
Tyson Gay will attempt to beat sprinting legend Tommie Smith's 44-year-old straight 200m record at the Great City Games in Manchester.
Gay holds the third fastest time for a traditional 200m race, which uses a bend, having run 19.58 seconds in 2009.
Smith set the straight 200m record of 19.5 sec in 1966 and went on to enjoy Olympic success with gold at the 1968 Games in Mexico City.
The 65-year-old Texan will be in attendance at the event on 16 May.
Even if Gay breaks the mark, he could still be short of Usain Bolt's 200m world record of 19.19 sec, which he set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.
Gay goes into the race in impressive form; in winning the 400m at the Tom Jones Classic in Gainesville, Florida on 17 April he became the first man to go under 10 seconds for the 100m, 20 sec for the 200m and 45 sec over 400m.
"Given the advantage there will be no bend, I'm almost certain Tyson, unless the weather or wind spoils the attempt, will surpass Smith's long-standing performance," said Andy Caine, the Great City Games elite athlete manager.
Smith's career highlight was winning 200m gold at the 1968 Games, becoming the first man to dip under the 20-second mark, but is perhaps best remembered for his 'Black Power' salute alongside countryman John Carlos during the medal presentation.
Gay will be competing against Panama sprinter Alonso Edwards on the specially erected track, which was first used along the streets of Manchester at the 2009 Great City Games.
There, triple Olympic champion Bolt set a new world record time of 14.35 seconds in the 150m race.
This year, Olympic gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu will go head-to-head with fellow Brit Jessica Ennis, the world heptathlon and pentathlon holder, over 150m.
Watch Usain Bolt set the 150m world record in Manchester in 2009
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