Shelly, Ver tipped for 100m, 200m

Published: Tuesday | July 7, 2009


Track and Field News (T&FN) magazine has picked Jamaican sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser and Veronica Campbell-Brown to follow up their Olympic titles with World titles when the 12th IAAF World Athletic Championships gets under way on August 15.

Fraser was a surprise in Beijing last summer, taking the 100-metre sprint in a fast 10.78 seconds as Jamaica took all three medals in the event. The diminutive sprinter recently won at the National Athletic Championships in a world-leading 10.88 seconds. Campbell-Brown, who has been beaten by her American rival Alyson Felix in the last two World Championships, blew Felix away in Beijing, running 21.74 seconds, the fastest time over the distance in a decade.

Bible of track and field

Long considered the Bible of track and field, Track and Field News last year picked Jamaica to win 12 medals at the Beijing Summer Olympics. Jamaica fell one short, finishing with 11 medals, including six gold, the island's best-ever haul at the Olympic Games.

According to T&FN, Olympic 100 metre silver medallist, Kerron Stewart, will take the bronze behind American Carmelita Jeter, who is unbeaten so far this season.

Shericka Williams is also being picked to win the bronze medal in the 400 metres behind Jamaican-born American Sanya Richards, and British Olympic, World and Commonwealth champion, Christine Ohurugu.