VCB Quest to Defend Olympic Title Begins this Weekend

The reigning Olympics women's 200m champion, Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown (VCB) will embark on her quest to retain her crown starting this weekend. VCB is schedule to compete in the 200m this Saturday at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida. VCB who has a personal best 21.74 seconds in the 200m which she established at the 2008 Beijing Olympics is on a very hot streak lately. She is fresh off her gold medal performance in the 60m (7.01) at the 2012 Indoor world championship in Istanbul last month. And was the 200m (22.22) champion at the 2011 Daegu world championships. Preparation and Competition VCB pointed out in her last “IAAF Dairy” entry on March 21 that “with the conclusion of the indoor season in Istanbul, my attention is fully turned to the long outdoor season. My training is quite challenging … I am inspired by the fact that that it is a fiercely competitive world out there.” VCB main rivals should be the American duo of Carmelita Jeter and Allyson Felix. Jeter made her intention known, when she ran a world-leading 22.31 seconds in the 200m at the Jackie Joyner Invitational in California last week. With her improving speed over the shorter distance coupled with her solid strength and stamina, VCB should have enough to repel the competition. However, it is a long season where new competitors will seek to dethrone the Jamaican sprint queen.