Gordon Williams, Contributor

Veronica Campbell (right) of Jamaica sprints on her way to winning the women's 100 metres at the 2007 Shanghai Golden Grand Prix track and field event in Shanghai, China, yesterday. Campbell won in a time of 10.90 seconds. At left is Lauryn Williams of the United States, who placed fourth. - AP

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania:

To sprinter Lauryn Williams, Veronica (Ver) Campbell is not her worst nightmare. Not even a bad dream.

And although the memory of losing to the Jamaican by the thinnest of margins in 100 metres final at last year's World Championships of Athletics in Osaka, Japan, still pops up occasionally, it does not haunt the American.

Instead, it has become the exact opposite - a major motivating force, especially with the 2008 Olympics on the horizon.

"Oh, definitely, she (now Veronica Campbell-Brown) is one of my main contenders. I'm sure of that every time," said Williams who competed at the 114th Penn Relays here last weekend. "She's training hard, doing all the right things."

Push harder

That knowledge has been enough to push Williams, who was dethroned as world champion by Campbell-Brown, even harder. Yet it has not dimmed her bubbly spirit or sense of humour.

"You know those days when you're tired and you want to do just 18 sit-ups instead of 20, or something like that?" she asked, trying hard - but failing - to contain her laughter. "I do 19 and number 20 for Veronica."

Campbell-Brown will run this weekend at the Jamaica International Invitational.

Williams will open her 100 metres season on May 10. Any edge, Williams explained, will be needed in what is expected to be among the most hotly contested women's Olympics 100 metres ever this summer in Beijing, China.

Greater talent pool

Jamaicans and Americans are again expected to be the main contenders for the gold, but the pool of talent has been spiked even more.

Dangerous World Championships 200 metres winner Allyson Felix is seeking to join the shorter sprint for the Americans. For Jamaica, Sherone Simpson, hampered by injuries last year, is expected back at full force.

Add World Championships finalist Kerron Stewart and a few more talented Jamaicans and the mix gets muddier, a fact not lost on Williams.

"I am very aware of all the talent the Jamaican team has," she said. "(Simpson's return) ups the ante. You know you need to get out there and do everything that you can because a healthy and fit Sherone is also a very fast Sherone Simpson as well. So, that's another person that you have to look out for."

In Osaka, Williams did not see Campbell, who nipped the American, although both clocked 11.01 seconds. It was so close that official results were not announced for more than five minutes. The top six finishers were separated by only seven hundredths of a second.

Emotional moment

Initially, that was difficult to handle."It was very emotionally draining," Williams said. "It wasn't so much from a negative standpoint at all, you know, just when you had so much switching back and forth and then it comes out and you realise just how close you were. It was definitely a very trying time for me."

Yet, even more frustrating for Williams was that she came up short against Campbell after ignoring advice from her coach.

"The last thing before going into the warm-up tent for that final my coach told me, 'You have not been running through the line. Get out there and run 102 metres'," Williams recalled. "I do feel like I ran 98 metres still. And so that's the one thing I messed up on.

"If I'd run a little bit farther, who knows what could have happened," added the 5' 3" dynamo. "Other than that, I don't really have any regrets. I say I ran my heart out there and I put my best foot forward. The outcome was the outcome."

She understands that will not change. Yet, the Miami-based 2005 World Championships gold medallist, who traces family roots to Trinidad and Tobago, is hoping for another shot this summer.

Last year, injuries slowed her preparation, but she never used that as an excuse for losing to Campbell in 2007. And no matter what her form is, Williams still believes she has a chance to win.

"Every year, I've approached it as anybody's game," she said.

Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.