Veronica Campbell Brown speaks on being overshadowed by Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt
(Contributed Article)
RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - Life in the fast lane is not always about equality and Jamaican sprint queen Veronica Campbell-Brown knows this better than most.
Perhaps the leading female sprinter of the past four years with Olympic gold in the 200 metres and 4×100m relay plus a bronze in the 100m and four world championship medals, the world 100m champion seldom attracts the attention garnered by compatriots Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, the current and former men’s 100m world record holders.
She takes the issue in her stride. When asked, she offered a pointed explanation as to why the men’s 100 metres remains the glamour event of athletics, overshadowing the women’s race.
“We (current female sprinters) are not in the position to break the world record,” Campbell-Brown told Reuters in a telephone interview from Florida.
“The men’s record can be broken in any race.” As a result “they (men) get more respect,” Campbell-Brown said.
“People want to see their event and it (the record possibility) brings more excitement to their event.
“So I definitely believe the women in the sprinting world are overshadowed in those races,” she said.
Florence Griffith-Joyner is a major reason for this. The American’s 1988 world record of 10.49 seconds may never broken.
“Probably strongly wind-assisted, but recognised as a U.S. and world record,” the Association of Track and Field Statisticians notes in its all-time list.
“It is beyond my reach,” Campbell-Brown said bluntly.
So while Bolt and Powell bask in the spotlight as they prepare for the June 27-29 Jamaican Olympic trials, the 26-year-old Campbell-Brown quietly goes about another attempt at representing her island nation in the 100 and 200.
She surprised even herself with the year’s leading 100 metres time of 10.88 seconds at a small meeting in Florida last week. The performance was three-hundreds of a second off her 2005 personal best.
She ranks fourth best for the year in the 200 with American world champion and Olympic favourite Allyson Felix yet to run the event.
“Winning the double in Beijing is my No. 1 object,” Campbell-Brown said.
2 comments ↓
Veronica, in my book you are doing great things for yourself and Jamaica.NUFF RESPECT!!
Esteban,
I totally agree with you! Thanks as always for stopping by!
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