National athletics rep Niko Verekauta is confident of reaching the quarterfinal stages at the World Athletics Championship in Berlin.

Verekauta, who trained in Australia for this championship, will run in the 200 metres tomorrow.

He is listed in Heat 2 and has the slowest time of 21.68 seconds while Antigua's Brendan Christian has the best time in this heat with 20.26 seconds.

But Athletics Fiji coach Albert Miller believes Verekauta has the experience that can pull him through from the heats.

Meanwhile ,world record holder in the 100 metres Usain Bolt is favourite to win the 200 metres crown.

Bolt will run in Heat 5 while defending champion Tyson Gay of United States has pulled out of the 200 metres because of a nagging groin injury.

Gay lost to Bolt in the 100 metres final where the Jamaican broke the world record with a time of 9.58 seconds.