The name Shelly-Ann Fraser is not easily recognisable amidst the plethora of more established female Jamaican athletes, such as Veronica Campbell, Delloreen Ennis-London, Sherone Simpson and Brigitte Foster-Hylton.

Shelly-Ann Fraser is all smiles during the training camp in Tottori City in Western Japan last week. (Photo: Norman Munroe)

However, the shy 20 year-old is one of the next generation of talented Jamaican female sprinters aiming to carve out their niche on the global stage.

The short, stockily-built 100- and 200-metre specialist is in Japan participating in her first major international meet, the 11th IAAF 2007 World Championships of Athletics, which began in Osaka on Friday (Jamaica time). She is looking forward to it with a mixture of, in almost equal measures: Quiet determination, nervousness, anticipation and excitement.
Despite feeling somewhat over-awed by the occasion, the former Wolmer's (Girls) High School student is looking forward to giving of her best.

Her main task will be to run the anchor leg on Jamaica's 4x100m relay team through the preliminary rounds.
This objective has her entire focus.
"I just want to go out there and give my team the best anchoring that they can get to help them to go to the final because I want to make my country proud, also myself and my coach and my family," she declared.

Although she does both the 100m and 200m events, this year the rookie athlete is focusing more on the shorter event, which, she says, will, in turn, improve her 200m performance.
Just out of high school, Fraser is very much aware that moving into the professional ranks has brought with it an inexorable demand for effort and commitment and she feels that she is up for the challenge.

She is a member of the renowned Stephen Francis-coached MVP Track Club based at the University of Technology (UTech), and she credits him for inspiring her to greater belief in herself and in her abilities. Her best time for the 100m now is 11.31 seconds and she says that in recent times she has seen her times gradually improving.
Her hard work is paying off and she intends to keep going, hinting that her performances next year will be even better than they are this year.

She paid tribute to her mother, who she says is her main inspiration for pursuing track and field "and right now I'm looking to go really, really far."
"(This level) is one that you have to get very mature for. It's not like when you're in high school you can not go training today, go training tomorrow. You have to be out there every day working hard, trying to work on the starts, your drive phase and all of that. So it's different from high school, more challenging and more ambitious," Fraser explained.

Looking beyond the Osaka championships, she is also "very excited" about her prospects for representing her country at next year's Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
She is, however, really looking ahead to the 2012 games in London, England, where she is picturing herself winning the 100m gold medal.

"... I'm hoping that, with health and strength I will be getting a gold medal. I'm very determined right now... I have the drive right now. I've never been so confident. I'm a shy person, but I'm trying to break out of that on the track," Fraser said.

In just her first year on the international track and field circuit, Shelly-Ann Fraser's name may not go up in lights in Osaka, but for her, this is just the beginning. More worlds to conquer lie ahead and despite her dislike for flying, she is not about to let that phobia, or any other obstacle for that matter, prevent her from achieving her goals.

Trousers in Denim

Cream of the 'Crop'

Cheeky's World