Controversial Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou feels she has nothing to prove on her return to international competition at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham following a two-year ban.
Thanou and her training partner Kostas Kenteris were suspended until last December after acknowledging they had violated anti-doping rules by missing three drugs tests, the last on the eve of the 2004 Athens Olympics.
"I have nothing to prove to anyone. I have a collection of medals that others would be jealous of," the 2000 Olympic 100 metres silver medallist told local media.
"What is important to me is simply taking part in this competition," added the 32-year-old whose last major event was the world outdoor championships in 2003.
Thanou will race the 60 metres at the National Indoor Arena in an attempt to win the title she held in 2000. She will be up against Belgium's European outdoor 100 and 200 metres title holder Kim Gevaert.
A host of champions will take to the boards during the three-day meeting which starts today, including the world's top female all rounder Carolina Kluft of Sweden.
The Olympic, world and European heptathlon champion will be the hottest favourite at the championships as she bids for her second successive pentathlon title.
Olympic decathlon champion Roman Sebrle is fit to defend the heptathlon after being impaled by a javelin in a training accident in January.
The Czech decathlon world record holder was hit in the right shoulder while crossing the field at his training camp in South Africa and needed 11 stitches in the wound.
"I was lucky and an infection was kept to a minimum because the shirt I was wearing also entered with the javelin," Sebrle told the International Association of Athletics Federations website last month.
The hosts best hopes for gold appear to lie with Joanne Pavey, the quickest European woman over 3,000 metres this year and 400 runner Nicola Sanders, who is a second faster than anyone else in the field.
Britain's Jason Gardener goes for a fourth consecutive 60 metres gold in the men's event but could see his dominance ended by training partner Craig Pickering.
Pickering is the joint fastest man in Europe, along with 2005 silver medallist Ronald Pognon of France, with 6.55 seconds this year.
Mo Farah has the chance to avenge his 5,000 metres defeat to Spain's Jesus Espana in last year's outdoor European championships when the pair line up over 3,000 in Birmingham.
World indoor high jump record holder Sweden's Kajsa Bergqvist will be missing, having decided to concentrate on defending her outdoor world title in Japan later this year.
However, competition is likely to be tight with Bulgaria's Venelina Veneva up against Belgian Tia Hellebaut, who beat her to the European outdoor title last year, and fourth-placed Blanca Vlasic of Croatia.
Veneva has the best height of the year of 2.02 metres, which she cleared last month in Banska Bystrica and has attempted an indoor world record of 2.09.
Isinbayeva absent
The championships are also without pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva, who has decided not to defend her title in order to concentrate on the outdoor season.
"For the first time the women's pole vault is included in the Golden League this year, where for serious success it's necessary to 'shoot' with no mistakes," Isinbayeva said on her website.
Russia still have a medal contender in the absence of the world, Olympic and European champion, with Svetlana Feofanova, the 2002 European indoor champion.