Western Bureau

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is now just a mere one week away and, like on most occasions when Jamaica is about to participate in any major international sporting endeavour, I am totally consumed by the proverbial butterflies that usually come with nervousness.

Strangely, this time around, my nervousness has nothing to do with any fear of failure, which is the usual cause of the butterflies, but more so because of my deep-seated belief that this is going to be a great Olympics for Jamaica and that we will enjoy unprecedented success.

confidence

My supreme confidence at this time is not only because our top athletes have been displaying remarkably good form within recent times, but more so because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) seems to have found a way to unmask the drug cheats, who have been tainting the sport and undermining the efforts of 'clean' athletes.

Unlike in the past, when Jamaica's best regularly ended up as not being good enough against the steroid-driven cheats, this time around, except for a slight concern that one or two athletes might panic under the pressure of competition, I believe Beijing '08 will provide our athletes with a level playing field.

While it might seem unrealistic, I believe Jamaica is poised for an impressive medal haul and I would be terribly disappointed if we have fewer than four gold medals at the end of the Olympics. I believe we could well venture into new territory with a double-digit haul of gold medals. That is why I am somewhat nervous.

Bolt

Individually, I am expecting at least the 200m gold medal from Usain Bolt, although I see no good reason why he should not win the 100m gold as well. Like some of the world-renowned pundits have been saying more and more loudly within recent times, I believe Bolt has both the talent and temperament to emerge the star of this Olympics.

While not writing off Asafa Powell, especially in light of his recent good form, I can't say I am exactly too confident about his prospects in the 100m with Bolt and Tyson Gay challenging him for dominance. However, for the sake of Jamaica and for his personal legacy, I really do hope that Powell will make up for all the disappointments of former times.

On the women's side, I believe gold medals could be plentiful. Should Veronica Campbell-Brown be asked to run in the 100m, I think she stands a fabulous chance of striking gold. While I would not tip her to win the double if she runs both the 100m and 200m, if she only runs the 200m, I am expecting that she will take the gold.

While not discounting the class of the likes of the American Sanya Richards and the United Kingdom's Christine Uhuruogo, I have a gut feeling that Jamaica could strike gold in the women's 400m. While they might not be favoured by the pundits, based on their big-occasion attitude, I think that Novlene Williams-Mills could snatch the gold medal.

400m hurdles

I have not been hearing much talk about the chances of Melaine Walker in the women's 400m hurdles, but unless she has been flattering to deceive in her recent races, I would put her in strong contention for the gold medal, especially if she hits the top of the straight in the lead. I am one of those persons who believes she has what it takes to beat China's Xiaoxio Huang.

Should we somehow manage to venture into the realm of the unexpected, athletes such as female hurdlers Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Deloreen Ennis-London could also spring a surprise or two. In fact, I would not be surprised if they find themselves among the gold medallists.

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The IOC seems to have found a way to unmask the drug cheats.