Campbell-Brown endorses Youth Olympics in Singapore
INTERNATIONAL Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World and Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown is confident the first Youth Olympics to be held later this year in Singapore will be a success.
The event will be held in August and is open to athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 years competing in 26 sporting events, and Campbell-Brown, IAAF World Youth and Junior 100m champion Dexter Lee and former 100m World Record holder Asafa Powell were guests of the Singapore government late last year to help promote the meet.
“My training partner Dexter Lee and I, as well as Asafa Powell went to the Asian island on behalf of the Jamaican government in what I can best describe as an exchange programme,” she wrote in her IAAF on-line diary that was published yesterday.
“I had an incredible time there, though rushed and must say I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the island, as well as the peaceful nature of the citizens. They will make very good hosts!” she said.
In return, the Singapore government is to assist the Jamaican government in the repairing of the running tracks at the National Stadium and the Stadium East complex.
Campbell-Brown, who won a silver medal in the 200m at last year’s IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany, after placing fourth in the 100m, says she is looking forward to the new season and whatever challenges it will bring.
The star athlete, who relocated to Georgia last year, says while the temperatures are a bit cooler than she is accustomed to, her preparation had started under new coach Anthony Carpenter.
For the first time in several years, the former IAAF Youth and Junior champion will run indoors with an eye to her first IAAF World Indoors to be held in Doha, Qatar, in March, but she says her competitive schedule was still being worked on.
The old year 2009 closed on a somewhat quiet note for her, as she said: “My husband Omar and training mate Shereefa Lloyd and I went to dinner then to our church to ring in 2010.
“Prior to that there was nothing quiet about my December. Early in the month I made my first trip to Singapore, then a quick trip back home for Steve Mullings’ wedding. Steve and I attended the same high school (Vere Technical) and junior college (Barton).”
Christmas was a family affair, “with both Omar’s family and my family, however, due to training, I was not able to partake at the table as I would have liked”, she joked.