The Jamaica Star :: Commentary :: VERONICA'S RUN

It is 2:35 p.m. June 29 2008 and I tell My Friend P that I am still in shock.

Veronica Campbell-Brown- VC, as I affectionately call her, one of Jamaica's 21st century sprint darlings, has failed to qualify to represent the country in the flat 100 metres at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

It was the race that finished and stopped hearts at the National Stadium on Saturday night. With all the attention centred around the following race on the track, the men's 100 metres, featuring the two fastest men in the world, Usain Bolt [current record holder 9.72 seconds] and Asafa Powell [former record holder 9.74 seconds] only the track and field purists had a grasp of what had just happened in the women's 100 metres.

The men's 100 metres really left nothing to remember - except that we saw the two fastest men in the world take a jog together. It was a photo op and keepsake memory - but nothing at all athletically stimulating. But, the race before, for all that the record books will show, was one of the greatest women's 100 metres ever run - competitive and fast. It was the run for gold before the run for gold.

The times tell the tale, and the shocking result of the World Champion gold medalist not making the cut added to the drama that great novels and movies are made of.

Cried inside

I cried inside as the realisation hit, VC placed fourth! No VC in the Olympic 100 metres, this just seems impossible. But it is true.

Jamaica has no real appreciation of the remarkable talent that we keep producing almost without effort as the Lovindeer song kept ringing out in the stadium says; "there must be something in the air that we breath."

Four of our women ran under 10.9 seconds in that race. VC would have made the Olympic team with her blistering seasons best time of 10.88 seconds in any other country in the world bar none.

She would have finished second in the US trials and placed first in any of the others. Oh Jesus it is the sort of thing that makes a girl go off and run for Slovenia [ nah I don't think VC would do that ]. Yet she only managed to place fourth at the Jamaican trials securing a spot on the Olympic relay squad but falling short of what is required to represent Jamaica in the individual 100 metres - something most people did not consider as a real possibility.

Bleed for VC

Your heart can't help but bleed for VC who has held every other major gold medal in that event except for the Olympic gold - a medal that has continued to elude Jamaica for all these years. But after witnessing the performances at the National Trials last week - end I can't help but think that this Olympics the jinx [aided and abetted by drug cheats in some years] will break and one of our girls will see the black, green and gold flag raised and the sounds of "Eternal Father" crack the Beijing air in late August for the women's 100 metre final.

I write hours before going to see the final day of these trials. I hope VC makes the cut for the 200 metres.

In fact I am sure she will and too I am sure she will provide that senior support that will allow Jamaica to successfully defend that 4 x 100 metres Olympic Gold too.

Never mind VC it is the pain of sport that makes it so beautiful.

Those three that ran ahead of you were motivated and inspired by you - that is a hell of a responsibility and an awesome power to have. Even American Lauryn Williams said she trained to the last ounce with a victory over VC in her focus.

If Jamaica continues to produce talent in this quality and quantity we might have to apply to the IAAF for our own Olympic Games with a couple special invited athletes.

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