WHEN Veronica Campbell Brown stood on the podium in the summer of 2004 collecting her gold medal, tears flowed freely from her face during the playing of the Jamaican anthem.

Campbell Brown’s reaction tickled the emotions of a small nation. She had won the hearts of every Jamaican.

She had created history by becoming the first Jamaican woman to capture gold at the Olympic Games in the 200m.

Her idol Merlene Ottey had come close a number of times, earning three bronze and a silver. Grace Jackson (silver), Juliet Cuthbert (silver), and Beverly McDonald (bronze), and even former 200m Olympic record holder Cynthia Thompson (1948) all failed to deliver the gold to Jamaica.

But there was Campbell Brown on the podium flanked by American Allyson Felix and Debbie Ferguson of The Bahamas. It was the first time the Jamaican anthem was being played in eight years after Deon Hemmings struck gold in the 400m hurdles at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Campbell Brown, who also created history with back-to-back 200m gold at the 2008 Olympic — only the second woman in history to achieve this — told the Jamaica Observer that the tears came naturally.

“There is just something about the national anthem, combined with my gratitude for my accomplishment, and the love for my country and the people whose support are instrumental in my success,” said Campbell Brown.

“It was that which filled me with emotions and brought tears to my eyes. Every time I went on the podium I had to focus hard to avoid tears,” she pointed out.

The then 22-year-old rising star had copped a bronze in the 100m days before in 10.97, so she was in good nick.

Wearing bib number 2223 on her chest was probably an indicator of the previous placings for Jamaica over the last four Olympic Games.

Campbell Brown easily won her first-round heat in 22.59 and followed that up with 22.49. She then threw down the gauntlet to her rivals clocking a personal best 22.13 in the semis and entered the final with the fastest time and the one to beat.

Drawn in lane 4, Campbell Brown had right behind her American 18-year-old prodigy Felix, who had won her semi-final in 22.36 and carried the American dream.

But in one of the best curve runs witnessed for ages, Campbell Brown left her rivals for dead coming into the straight — something which Don Quarrie would have been proud of — and held her form well to the line for gold.

Campbell Brown won in another personal best of 22.05 ahead of Felix in 22.18 and Ferguson in 22.30. Jamaica’s Aleen Bailey just missed a medal, clocking 22.42 for fourth.

“It was a well-executed race and, at that time, it was one of my best 200 metres executions. I ran the curve and transitioned very well and I was able to maintain my stride pattern and technique through the finish line,” she explained to the Observer.

Campbell Brown’s celebration was a bit low-keyed, as if the magnitude of her achievement had not resonated with her immediately. But her teammate Aleen Bailey pulled her to her feet and the celebration started and ended with a victory lap with the black, green and gold Jamaican flag.

“Winning the 200m at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games was a dream come through. As a young girl I dreamt of winning an individual Olympic gold medal and realising that dream filled me with excitement, gratitude, and the realisation that dreams do come true, even for someone like me who came from underprivileged circumstances,” said Campbell Brown, who was born in Clark’s Town, Trelawny.

But what was it like the night before the final, the Observer queried.

“Prior to the race, I visualised my strategy and saw myself executing each phase effectively and getting the victory,” she pointed out.

“I normally don’t have any problem sleeping the night before competitions; however, after huge competitions, those are the nights I normally experience difficulties falling asleep. I think this is due to the body taking a while to calm down from the adrenaline and energy that it builds up prior to performing,” Campbell Brown explained.

With a total three Olympic gold medals and a eight medals overall, and add to that her three gold, seven silver and one bronze from the World Championships, Campbell Brown will go down in history as one of the all-time greats, not only in Jamaica but the world.

Her 100m gold at the 2007 World Championship showed her versatility and confirmed her greatness.

Who would have believed that it was the first time a Jamaican, male or female, had won the 100m blue-riband event.

Herb McKenley, Lennox Miller, Donald Quarrie, Merlene Ottey, Asafa Powell all failed to win that senior global title for Jamaica. Veronica Campbell Brown did it first.

She holds personal best of 10.76 for the 100m and 21.74 for the 200m and she noted that all her Olympic appearances are unique in their own way.

“I have special memories, but Beijing 2008 turns out to be my most memorable for several reasons,” she noted.

“Firstly, there was tremendous pressure to defend my title and, thankfully, I did,” Campbell Brown explained.

“Secondly, I ended the Games as only the second woman in Olympics history to win the 200 metres consecutively,” she added.

“Thirdly, I ran a huge personal best of 21.74 seconds in the 200m.”

Campbell Brown is married to fellow athlete Omar Brown and welcomed their baby girl, Avianna Brown, on February 23, 2019.

After winning eight Olympic medals, and five World titles, Campbell Brown announced her retirement in June 2021 at 39 years old.

She earned her first major medals at the 1999 World U-18 Championships in Bydgoszcz, where she won the 100m and 4x100m. Just one year later, aged 18, she made her Olympic début in Sydney as part of Jamaica’s 4x100m team and came away with a silver medal.

Just a few weeks later she won the sprint double at the World U-20 Championships in Santiago de Chile.