Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Thorkildsen, who in his spare time models for Swedish football international turned fashion designer , knows that a world championship gold is well overdue.

While his second place to Andrus Varnik in Helsinki four years ago could be excused as the growing pains of a burgeoning talent - his gold with a personal best in Athens the year before had been such a surprise that he described it as "completely insane" - his defeat in Osaka in 2007 by great Finnish rival hurt like hell.

Berlin is far from a happy hunting ground for Thorkildsen, too. After Pitkamaki beat him here in the Olympiastadion in June, he told reporters, "I don't like this place."

This week, perched in a rooftop hotel with panoramic views across the city, he was in more conciliatory mood. "It's been up and down for me here, but the difference is that this is my first time here for a championship. There is a Golden League meeting almost every week, but this is different."

Can Thorkildsen turn it around in Sunday's final, and if so, how? Four-time European champion , here as a pundit for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TV and Radio 5 Live, used to warm-weather train with the Norwegian in South Africa during the winter.

"He didn't throw very well in qualifying, but he's coming into form," says Backley. "He's got a very, very stable technique that stands up well to pressure, and his temperament is extremely good. Put all that together and you'd say he's likely to win - but he also knows that there are a couple of guys in the final who could drop a bomb and put it out of his reach."

What makes Thorkildsen stand out, believes Backley, is his immense physical and mental strength.

"If you divide javelin throwers into two categories - the guys who have massive power and can bully it out there, and the guys who use their long levers and really run at it so their bodies become like a bow - he epitomises the latter group," he says.

"He is an unbelievable physical specimen. He's very, very strong - he might look wiry compared to some throwers, but he can bench-press 190kg, and he has amazing elastic strength. He can jump and sprint fantastically well, and is gymnastic too - I've seen him holding a handstand on the parallel bars.

"In some ways he's similar to Usain Bolt, because he's impossible to faze. When you're in the call-room before a big final, it's incredibly stressful, and most athletes are trying to get in the zone. But Andreas will be chatting and joking away about the weather.

"He's got some unusual ways of dealing with stuff, and can come out with some strong opinions. But it's all about creating the right atmosphere to throw to your maximum, and he can do that very well.

"Most javelin throwers peak at about 27 and a half years old, and Andreas is almost exactly that. He's a class act."

Thorkildsen was born with the genes for success. His father Tomm, who began coaching his son when he was just 11 years old, had a very respectable javelin PB of 71.64m, while his mother Bente was Norwegian 100 metres hurdles champion in 1972.

In his way on Sunday stands a quartet of Finns, each of whom is capable of snatching that coveted world title away again.

Pitkamaki, who once threw a javelin so far left in a Golden League meet in Rome that he hit French long jumper Salim Sdiri and sent him to hospital in an ambulance, is in fine form, throwing a season's best of 87.79m in Lapinlahti just a few weeks ago.

Current Finnish champion Teemu Wirkkala comes into these championships having set a personal best last month, while Antii Ruuskanen and Tero Jarvenpaa will also be dangerous. Then there's the monster-throwing Latvian Vadims Vasilevskis, one of the 'bomb-droppers' referred to by Backley.

"Me, Tero and Vadims were all born in 1982, and have done the junior championships together and continued on to the major championships - we've been competing against each other for nearly 10 years now," says Thorkildsen.

"While we are rivals - we all want to beat each other - we are also friendly. We are down at the track for such a long time, and we have fun also."

And the combined presence of the four Finns? He's the only Norwegian in the 12-strong final. "I'm my own team."

If Thorkildsen is looking for lucky omens, only one man - the legendary - has ever managed to retain a javelin world title. If he prefers to rely on personal experience - well, there's something for him there, too.

"I threw my biggest throw of the year in Beijing last summer, so I'm capable of throwing long on the big occasions. In the championships, you have to throw when you are ready."

One of the most enjoyable aspects of these world championships has been the wonderful quality and reception given to the throwing events. Almost every final, from men's shot to women's hammer via the men's discus and women's javelin, has been followed avidly and appreciated by the knowledgeable Berlin crowd.

Thorkildsen could not hope for a better place to break his Worlds duck.