Perec backing Barber

Former 400m queen Marie-Jose Perec is convinced French heptathlon favourite Eunice Barber has the required spark to overcome Swedish talent Carolina Kluft and win the world crown at the Stade de France.

The 28-year-old French-naturalised Sierra Leone-born athlete grabbed gold at the Seville world championships in 1999 with a total of 6861 points, earning the predictable nickname “Barber of Seville”.

She also recorded the best performance in the world this year with 6694 points.

“I found her in top form, I think she is the same as from 1999 with that little spark extra,” Perec said in L’Equipe on Saturday.

“She was already extremely strong that year when she won gold in Sevilla but this time she looks more mature and far more serene.”

Barber’s other rivals will be Britain’s 31-year-old Denise Lewis who is the reigning Olympic champion but has been struggling for fitness this season as well as Russia’s Yelena Prokhova who is the defending world champion.