( L - R ) Williams, Williams-Mills

Two years ago, Novlene Williams-Mills won a bronze medal in the 400 metres at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. Last year, at the Beijing Olympic Games, Shericka Williams, won a surprising silver in the same event.

At next month's Berlin World Championships these women could give Jamaica two medals in the event.

Gold will be difficult. Jamaican-born American Sanya Richards looks all set to break her big-meet jinx and capture her first world title in her pet event. Over the years, Richards has looked unbeatable going into major cham-pionships but, at the big moment, failed miserably.

This year, she has changed her tactics.

She is showing a bit more patience in the early stages of her races and, with a world-leading time of 49.23 seconds in Oslo in early June and several other sub-50 seconds races, there should be no stopping her this time around.

While Richards will start favourite to win the gold, the defending champion and Olympic gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain should not be taken lightly. For two consecutive years, the powerful Briton had looked ordinary going into major championships but somehow has been able to pull off a victory where it mattered most. However, she seems to be struggling a bit this year.

Significant improvement

She is bothered by a hamstring injury and will have to improve significantly on her season best 51.14 seconds if she hopes to pull off another victory.

Shericka Williams, with her season best 49.98 in Oslo and Williams-Mills with a 50.05 in Athens, are ranked number two and three in the world so far and both are expected to be Richards' biggest challenges for gold. Following her personal best of 49.69 seconds last year in Beijing where she failed by seven hundredths of a second to beat Ohuruogu for the gold, Williams has gone from strength to strength. Despite losing her national title this year to Williams-Mills, she has been very consistent, and has lost only to Richards since. If she continues that trend she could surprise Richards.

In 2007, Williams-Mills looked a sure gold medallist in Osaka with 30 metres to go but somehow lost her form and finished third in a career-best 49.66. After failing to reach the final in Beijing last year, the former Ferncourt High student is bent on making up for that disappointment and she has been in tremendous form all season. She is the only athlete to have defeated Richards in her pet event so far this year when she pulled off an upset at the Jamaica International Invitational in May. She is very inconsistent but, on her best day, can be very dangerous.

With the defending champion Ohuruogu not looking herself this season and with the Russians and the Americans, except Richards, looking ordinary so far, the medals are likely to come down to the two top Jamaicans and world leader Richards. While Richards is the overwhelming favourite, she could be hit by the jinx again and the two Jamaicans could be left fighting out the finish.