Sport

Campbell off to terrific start

Campbell..."I never opened a season that fast. It went quite well." - File

fayetteville, arkansas, cmc

JAMAICA'S OLYMPIC 200 metres champion Veronica Campbell says she is inspired by her outdoor season opening win at the Texas Relays at the weekend.

Campbell captured the women's 100 metres title in a wind assisted 10.98 seconds, her fastest ever season-opening performance and says she hopes to continue those high standard performances throughout the season.

"It's my fastest ever opener, so I am faster," Campbell said recently. "I feel stronger, and I'm more focussed. After the Olympics, I have to try and maintain that focus."

Campbell, who also won gold in the sprint relay and bronze in the 100 metres at the Athens Olympics, credited her strong start this season to a harder training regimen.

After focussing more on the 200 metres in 2004, Campbell said she will now split her attention more evenly between the two shorter sprints in 2005, but readily admits she has her work cut out for her in the 100 metres.

"I've got to work on the 100," she said. "My main problems are in my start, and with being more consistent. That's not as much of a problem in my 200."

The fleet-footed 22-year old has raced very little indoors this season but when she has, there has been no shortage of world leading and personal best performances.

In her lone outing in the 60 metres, she clocked 7.09 metres, equalling the world's fastest this year and in her only indoor 200 metres race, she sped to a 22.38 seconds clocking in Birmingham, England.

The time was more than three-tenths of a second up on the year's next fastest time, extending to 25 her winning streak in 200 metres finals that began on April 1, 2000.

Currently, it is the longest win streak in the sport. All three indoor performances were personal bests.

"It was quite surprising to me," she said of her brief indoor season. "I never opened a season that fast. It went quite well."

Her next race will be at the Jamaica International in Kingston on May 7, though she is yet to decide which sprint she will enter. The World Championships in August also present a similar quandary for Campbell.

"We're still not sure about doubling in Helsinki," she said.