Kerron Stewart ... could win as many as three medals. - AP

BEIJING, China (CMC)

According to Jamaican sprinter Kerron Stewart, the time for the real hard work has passed. It is now time to perform.

Ahead of the start of the women's 100m heats, which begin at 9:50 tonight, the athlete said that while her preparation at Jamaica's training camp in the northern city of Tianjin had gone well, the real focus now was on performance.

"We just worked on small things, only things that I consider my weakness," said Stewart, one of the favourites to take the gold medal in the women's 100 metres at the Olympic Games.

"That is mainly what we worked on in Tianjin. The hard work cannot be done now. It should have been done already. This phase is all about maintenance."

Confident of victory

The 24-year-old Stewart believes that she had already put the necessary hard work in, and is confident of taking gold in the event.

Despite the threats expected to come from fellow Jamaican Sherone Simpson and Americans Lauryn Williams and Tori Edwards, Stewart said she was gunning for the top spot on the podium.

"You definitely want to be number one. I do not train to come second. You need to train hard to be number one, but not so hard to be number two," she said confidently.

In the lead-up to the Games, Stewart established herself as a clear favourite, coming out on top of a high-class field at a World Athletics Tour meet at the Herculis Stadium in Monaco.

Stewart explained that while the victory was appreciated, her confidence for the Olympics stemmed from her preparation.

"A win is always good but my confidence comes from training," she stressed. "It's all about how I feel and look in training. Training has gone really well."