VCB says she remains passionate for both sprints
GRANVILLE, Trelawny — Like being forced to choose between two great loves, Veronica Campbell Brown is refusing to have to make a choice between the 100m and 200m sprints.
The 2007 Osaka World Championships gold medallist in the 100m and two-time Olympic gold medallist in the 200m, says she will continue to run the double and hopes to qualify in both for the IAAF Daegu World Championships later this year.
She was reluctant to look too far ahead, however, and says the plan was first to make the Jamaica team.
In an interview with the Observer during a visit to the Granville Child Care facility in Trelawny on Thursday, Campbell Brown said: “Trials is first hurdle to cross and I believe I will do both. It is a challenge to choose one as I love both,” she said.
“I am blessed to be able to do both of them well, the plan is to come to Trials and run both and make the team in both for Daegu,” she added.
Campbell Brown needs to finish in the top four at Jamaica Trials in June to qualify for the 100m in Daegu, as National Record holder Shelly-Ann is the defending champion in that race and has an automatic berth.
Campbell Brown was second in the 200m in the 2009 IAAF World Championships held in Berlin, Germany, to American Allyson Felix and needs a top-three finish to earn her spot.
On her visit to the Granville Child care facility, she was met with enthusiasm by the girls who she addressed and later signed autographs for.
Campbell Brown, who is also a UNESCO Champion of Sports Ambassador, has been engaged in a number of philanthropic activities in the western end of Jamaica, most notably at Troy Primary, one of her former schools.
She said is always looking for avenues through which she can utilise her mantle to uplift and encourage women.
Her trip to the Granville Childcare was exploratory in nature, as she is very interested in the welfare of young girls.
Recently, Campbell Brown was a central figure in the launch of Dignity Day in Jamaica and plans are afoot to launch her Foundation, which will focus on women’s issues.
