VIEu W PO I NT Carlb* e.,at of a champion: Jamaica's Veronica C rl Campbell strikes gold on the track Jamaica's Veronica Campbell overcame a serious leg injury to again prove she's one of the best ever athletes from the Caribbean. Recently she talked to Caribbean Today's Managing Editor Gordon Williams about her medal win- ning performances at the recent IAAF World C ahnipionships of Athletics in Osaka, Japan, includ- ing gold in the 100 meters and sil- ver in the 200 meters and 4x100 meters relay. The following is an edited version of that interview: QUESTION: You're coming off the World Championships. How're you feeling now, not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well? A: I'm feeling great. I think I achieved a lot at the World Championships and I'm pleased with the way I performed. All the hard work I put in paid off. So I'm very grateful. Q: Coming off the injury, were the World Championships like a shot at redemption for you, to re-establish yourself? A: Not really. I was hurt last year and I accept that. And I worked hard to get myself back to full form. I was very determined at the World Championships. I was very confident that I would do well because training was going on really good. I was just pleased, just taking each round with con- fidence. Q: You had the misfortune of having your coach (American Lance Brauman) not around, incarcerated. What sort of rela- tionship did you have with the coach and how did his absence from your training, personally, affect your preparations going into the games? A: Despite the fact that our coach was absent, my main aim was to stay focused. I was very determined. He (Brauman) left us with all our programs and our workouts that we had to do. So I could follow the proce- dures, the workouts, and just stay focused. And I just worked towards my goal. Q: Is he still your coach and is he still going to be your coach? A: As for now I think I'll stick with the program I've been doing for a while. It's worked well for me and I think the best thing to stick with what I know, what has worked well for me, not to try something new during the Olympic year (2008). Q: Your fiance, Omar Brown, was at the World Championships helping as coach. How did that work out? And what were the advantages and disadvantages, if any, to that arrangement? A: That went well. Omar did very well. (She laughs.) He played a really good role as a coach at the World Championships. He made sure I did everything I needed to do to go through each round. He was very supportive. It was fun working with Omar. It wasn't any problem. Everything went well and I just thank God that he was able to help me focus on the World Championships. Q: Seeing as you have a person- al relationship with him, does it make any difference when he is acting as your coach? A: I know how to separate per- sonal stuff from business. So it was no problem at all. Q: The 100 meters final, that was possibly the closest finish of all times, or one of the clos- est...Were there any added expectations seeing that Jamaica expected a gold medal from Asafa Powell and that did- n't happen, and now it was your turn? A: I was not pressured at all. I know what I went to the World Championships to accomplish and that was to win. So I stayed focused, stayed positive, stayed confident and took it each round by round. Q: When you started the race, you had to play catch-up. What were your thoughts coming out of the blocks and say halfway through the race? A: I don't remember the entire race, but when I got out of my drive phase I realized that I was not in the front and I realized that I had some catching up to do. But I've learnt to be patient and that helped me to run a very good race and come out on top. Q: You're saying that your experience helped pull you through what was probably not the best start? A: Right, and mistakes that I've made before; to have learned from those. And I was able to maintain my composure and execute the race despite having a not-so-good...start. I think the problem in that race was not so much my start, but it was my execution for the first 30 (meters). Q: But you did not panic? A: No, I did not panic. If I'd panicked, then that's not a good thing. If you panic then you cannot execute well. You get out of your drive phase too quick and you screw the entire race up. So patience is the best thing when it comes to 100 meters if you don't get a good start. Q: There's a lot of talk about that, about your mental tough- ness. How important is that to you in terms of your make-up as an athlete? A: It is very important. On top of the physical, you've got to be mentally strong... You can be physically fast or strong, but if you are not strong in the head then you can mess everything up. So mental preparation, being strong, being positive, is very important to me as an ath- lete. Q: Is there any special way you go about preparing yourself mentally to compete, especially in these big meets? A: I think one part, you've got to have confidence in your training. You've got to have confidence in yourself. You just have to believe that you put in the work and you can achieve whatever you want, because the mind is so powerful. As long as you work hard and just focus on you. It's all about you in the race. It's not about all the com- petitors. It's just about you and your lane. Just know what you've got to do and stay confi- dent. Q: Do you feel the weight of expectations as Jamaica's lead- ing gold medal hope at major games now? A: Not really. I'm just trying to maximize everything; my poten- tial and my career. So whenever I go on the track I'm just mak- ing sure that I do whatever it takes to compete to the best of my ability. I don't really feel any pressure because when you try to pressure yourself that can mess everything up. You've - just got to focus on what you've got to do and that will take care of everything, all the expectations and everything. I try not to let pressure get to me. I just work on what I have to get -- done. Cam Q: You wake up in the morning thinking you're the fastest woman in the world? A: (She laughs.) Q: Has it dawned on you yet? A: Ah, I'd rather skip that question. (She laughs.) I'm blessed. I feel well accom- plished. I feel I've accomplished a lot. Q: What specifically do you believe you have to work on? A: Right now, I think my last 50 (meters), especially in that race (200) is the main thing I need to work on because I think I exe- cuted well (in Osaka), but I was not pleased with the last 50 (meters) of that race. Q: Your fastest time is 22.05 seconds. American Allyson Felix ran 21.81 to win. Is that beyond you or within your reach? ipbell trying to stay ahead of the pack. A: (She laughs.) I wouldn't say it's beyond me. To say it's beyond me that would be nega- tive thinking and that doesn't get us anywhere. I know I have the ability, the potential to do very well... But I definitely know that 22.05 is not my best. Q: The Osaka schedule was tough. Does that give you any second thoughts about attempt- ing the double (100 and 200) in Beijing (China) at the 2008 Olympic Games? A: That is too early to deter- mine whether I will double at Beijing. It all depends on the way my training goes. With that in mind, I'll be the defending champion in the 200 meters at the Olympics and then I hope to do very well in the 100 meters. Right now I am not sure, but it's a possibility. 0 CASTHELY ORTHODONTICS "Creating Straight & Beautiful Smiles" DENTAL BRACES INVISALIGN Free Consultation Easy Payment Options Serving Miami's Caribbean Community for Over 9 Years I www.casthelyortho.com 'More than 16)'ear dbdIkated to )mmwff~bvfn Law" North Miami Beach Office 1400 NE Miami Gardens Dr., #101 North Miami Beach, FL 33179 305.940.4911 Kendall Office 7887 N Kendall Dr., #103 Miami, FL 33156 305.275.1094 IMMIGRATION American Immifration -aVw Center Law Firm of Attorney Caroly Pedersen, P.A. ** Come In ForA Relaxe Personal Consultation With Attorney Carolb Pedersen Call: 954-382-5378 7515 W. Oakland Park Boulevard, Suite 103 Sunrise, Florida 33319 Email: zplawffdn.com Hring an Aley Is a veryimportant decislonand should not be based crny on newspaperads.Bed e dedinfg, ask us for infonan on our expriensceandquaifications. October 2007 CARIBBEAN TODAY