Olympic 100 metre champ Justin Gatlin opened his outdoor season by anchoring his relay team to a second place finish in the 4x100 metres at the Mount San Antonio College Relays.

Gatlin couldn't close the gap down the stretch against Aaron Armstrong as Gatlin's Sprint Capitol USA team finished in 38.39 seconds.

"I haven't been behind in awhile. It was a weird feeling," said Gatlin.

"I am a little disappointed, but I made up good ground. It is still early in the season. If I was in mid-season form I would have caught him."

Josh Norman, Rodney Martin and Olympic 200 metre champ Shawn Crawford also ran for Gatlin's Sprint team in front of a crowd of about 1,600 on Saturday at the Hilmer Lodge Stadium.

Armstrong anchored the victorious Arkansas team in 38.19.

Gatlin reiterated on Saturday that he believes he can set the world record and top last year's performance when he became just the second man ever to win both the 100m and 200m at the same World Championships.

"It is possible," Gatlin said. "I have the competitive spirit. I am working on my starts and bringing sound races."

Gatlin's goal this year is to run a 9.75 seconds and break the world record of 9.77 held by Jamaica's Asafa Powell.

"I can go lower than 9.77," he said. "Nobody thought Maurice (Greene) would do 9.79 and then nobody thought he would go 9.78."

Gatlin looks forward to his first race of the season against Powell but says he doesn't know when that will be.

"I would race Asafa every day if I could. I want great challenges because that is what is going to make me a better runner," Gatlin said.

Gatlin said he has no problem getting motivated for the outdoor season, even though there are no Olympics or World Championships in 2006.

"Most people would be debating in their heads what to do in a year like this," Gatlin said. "It is all about preparation and I am just looking at putting out superb times. All I have to do this year is focus on my race."

Gatlin revealed more of his spring schedule on Saturday, saying he plans to run another relay next week at the Kansas Relays. His first 100m of the season will be May 6 at the World Athletics Tour in Osaka, Japan, and then a week later he plans to race in the Qatar Grand Prix in Doha.

Gatlin will run outdoors in his hometown of New York for the first time at the Reebok Grand Prix on June 3. In September he travels to Athens to take part in the World Cup in Athletics.

Asked if the BALCO scandal was still a distraction for the US athletes, Gatlin said, "I don't think so. You look at the news and it has become a Barry Bonds kind of thing. We have some young athletes coming up who are doing great and sweeping the dark clouds away."

Maurice Greene attended the Mt SAC races but didn't compete. Greene, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, said he will open his outdoor season by running in the 4x100m relay at the Kansas Relays next week.

"My training is going good. Right now I am taking it easy," Greene said. "I just want to get back to running the way I was before. I am not worried about the times. They will come once I step down on the line."

Marion Jones usually opens her season at Mt SAC but she decided not to come this year saying she wasn't ready to race yet.

Jones, who won five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, finished a distant last in the 400 metres here last year then hid from reporters after the race.

Reigning World 200m champ Allyson Felix said it felt strange not having Jones to race against at Mt SAC.

"It (the meet) goes on," said Felix, who anchored the victorious USA Red team in the women's 4x100m. "Everyone is use to seeing her, so it will be nice when she comes back to compete."

Even without Jones there were a number of other performances to marvel at Saturday.

World 4x400m gold medallist LaShawn Merritt won the men's 200m in 20.23 by edging out Chris Berrian (20.31) and reigning world indoor 60m champion Leonard Scott.

In one of the closest finishes of the day, Canada's Rebecca Johnstone (2:01.80) crossed the line just ahead of American Frances Santin (2:01.86) to capture the women's 800m.

Olympic silver medallist Toby Stevenson won his third straight Mt SAC pole vault title (5.63m) while 2005 World silver medallist Chaunte Howard leaped a world leading 2.00 metres to win the women's high jump.

The 2003 100m world champ Torri Edwards, who served a 15-month ban for taking the stimulant nikethamide, won the women's 200m race. American Edwards clocked 22.98 to beat South Africa's Geraldine Pillay (23.00) and Monique Henderson (23.12).