Amedal at this year’s Common wealth Games in Scotland is what 100m sprint hurdler Andrea Bliss is focusing on this season after running her fastest opening race of 13.17 seconds at the Florida Relays on April 4.

“That’s the fastest time I ever run since I left the University of Florida in 2004. So that was a good one,” Bliss told the Jamaica Observer before heading off to the Drakes Relays last Saturday.

Ironically, the last time Bliss made the final at an international competition, was at the Dehli 2010 Commonwealth Games where she finished fourth.

“I just want to make the team to Commonwealth Games, that’s my goal right now because there are no other major championship. I just want to make that team and come home with a medal,” she added.

Bliss, 32, believes, based on her relatively fast time for her opening race, she is on course for a really productive season this year.

“Training has been going really, really great. I am taking things kind of slow although it started off a little fast. My first race was at the Florida Relays. My second race I ran 13.22 which is not bad, but I am not too down on myself,” she noted.

Bliss competed at the Drakes Relays over the weekend and helped Jamaica place second behind the USA Red Team in the Shuttle Relay. Shermaine Williams, Monique Morgan and Latoya Greaves were her teammates who clocked 52.01 behind the talented Americans with Lolo Jones, Briana Rollins, Queen Harrison and Vashti Thomas who did the second best time ever at the event in 50.93 seconds.

Bliss, who will be competing at the Jamaica International Invitational Meet on Saturday, before participating at the Cayman Invitational and another meet in Guadeloupe, believes she is where she is supposed to be at this time of the year.

“I would say I am on target because last year I was off at this time of the year,” she noted.

But despite her slow preparation last year, Bliss ran her personal best of 12.82 seconds having not broken the 13-second barrier since 2009. She was second at the Jamaica National Trial behind Danielle Williams, who did 12.69 seconds.

But her marked improvement, she believes, is due to the fact she has got over some plaguing injuries, better dieting and a switch to top hurdles coach Fitz Coleman.

With 2009 Berlin World Championship gold medallist Brigitte Foster-Hylton now retired, Bliss, the elder stateswoman in the sprint hurdles, is expected to take up the mantle, along with the Williams sisters — Danielle and Shermaine — Monique Morgan, Latoya Greaves, young guns Peta-Gay Williams, Yanique Thompson and a rejuvenated Melaine Walker.