Ottey moving into the business world

By Merrick Andrews, Staff Reporter

Ottey.

SIDE-LINED by a hamstring injury sprint veteran Merlene Ottey is gearing to break records in sports medicine and physical education.

The 41-year-old icon is now involved in two big European-based projects, one of which her manager Daniel Zimmerman said is "revolutionary and will be a successful company in the next two to three years".

Speaking from California, Zimmerman said Ottey is a co-owner of TMG d.o.o, a Slovenian company specialising in the field ensiomyography (TMG), an innovative and new measuring method for the detection of contractile properties of skeletal muscles.

This revolutionary approach, Zimmerman said was developed by scientists at the University of Ljubliana, Slovenia, and her coach Srdjan Djordjevic.

After initial funding, the company will now start to commercialise its patented technology around the world and Ottey will act as their spokesperson and ambassador. She's one of five shareholders of the company that started earlier last year.

In regards to that project, Zimmerman noted: "Certainly this application is very revolutionary, very big and I am convinced it will be very successful company two to three years down the line. I think it has the potential to become a big size company in two or three years."

The second project is about recording a series of exercise/fitness tapes with a Hungarian-based fitness icon called Norbi, said Zimmerman. These exercise tapes are designed for people interested in being and looking fit. Their theme is based on the successful movie "Gladiator".

"You will soon be able to see Merlene among Roman warriors and soldiers," Zimmerman said. The tapes will be released throughout Europe in November of this years.

Earlier this year Ottey ruled herself out of the Jamaican Trials and the IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, Canada. This was mainly because of the protest against her inclusion ahead of 100-metres champion Peta-Gaye Dowdie in the sprint race at last year's Sydney Olympics, Zimmerman had said.

Due to this, Ottey missed her second consecutive World Championships, an event from which she has garnered 14 medals since its inception in 1983. She withdrew on the eve of the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain after it was disclosed that she tested positive for the banned steroid, nandrolone.

But working on two major projects in Europe, with the intention of gracing the catwalk, has Ottey hanged up her spikes?

"I don't know," replied Zimmerman, "I think that is still her scope...I would not rule out that she's not going to run again. It's her love, it's something important to her, it's an important part of her life."

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