SIMPSON... I'm looking forward to medal in both events

BEIJING, China - Reigning Commonwealth 200m champion Sherone Simpson who celebrated her 24th birthday yesterday, is targeting three medals when the track and field competition begins here inside the Bird's Nest Stadium.

"If I do get my last 20 metres good, I know that I'll medal in the 100 metres," Simpson told the Observer after training at the University of Tianjin on Sunday under the guidance of coach Stephen Francis. Simpson clocked 11.07 to finish sixth in the 100m final at the 28th Olympiad in Athens.

"I'll be taking it one race (round) at a time. First I'll deal with the 100 metres, then I'll look to the 200m, but definitely for both events I'm really looking forward to score (medals) in both events," added the soft-spoken sprinter.

The Manchester High School alumnus has season best times of 10.87 and 22.11 in the 100m and 200m.

Simpson, who ran the second leg on Jamaica's winning sprint relay team at the 2004 Athens Games, booked her place on the team to Beijing by clocking 10.87secs and 22.11secs in for third and second in the 100m and 200m, respectively, at the June 27-29 National Championships in Kingston.

"I'm not sure if I'll be doing both events, but if I do both the 100m and 200m, I think I'm ready and I'm going into the championships to medal. I've worked hard for the months, so I do think that my hard work will pay off," she reasoned.

Ever since Simpson beat world champion Veronica Campbell-Brown by 0.01 of a second in the 100 finals at the national trials debate has been raging over whether the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association should allow the latter to contest the 100, given her impressive form in the event.

However, the JAAA rules dealing with selection is clear: "Athletes placing in the 1st to 3rd positions in all events will be selected, providing that they have attained the qualifying 'A' standard for the competition," the JAAA website (www.jaaltd.com) states.

World championship finalist, Kerron Stewart, won the 100m in 10.80 ahead of Shelly-Ann Fraser (10.85) and Simpson (10.87).

In 2000, national champion Peta-Gaye Dowdie, who was reportedly nursing an injury, was replaced by Merlene Ottey, who finished fourth in the final. That decision led to an embarrassing protest by some Jamaican athletes at the Games Village in Sydney.

Asked if she is injured, Simpson replied: "No, just soreness, otherwise I'm good," she affirmed.

In the meantime, Simpson gave the mandatory camp in Tianjin high marks, making special reference to the Jamaican food that was prepared by Novelette Samuels.

"It was wonderful and you know food is very important because for me I have to eat to ensure that I keep up my strength, weight and everything and I must say the people here in Tianjin were very hospitable and we could not have asked for anything more," she said, noting that the athletes had everything to their comfort.

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