Gordon Williams, Gleaner Writer

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, USA:

To go faster, Sanya Richards is learning she must slow down.

So come the Jamaica International Invitational meet on Saturday at the National Stadium, expect the world's top ranked female quarter-miler to choose 'baby steps' to start her individual race season, the one she hopes will be her best ever.

Just don't bet the Jamaican-born 24-year-old, who competes for the United States, will lose.

"Just the win. Just the win," Richards said of her plans while here at the Penn Relays last weekend, where she anchored the American 'Red' team to victory in the USA vs the World 4x400 metres.

"My coach and I, we're not trying to run any spectacular times prior. Single-mindedly, I just wanna win the World Championships (August in Berlin, Germany). So I just wanna go out there (in Kingston) and run well, steady my pace up for the first 200 and then just, hopefully, you know, finishing up."

There's reason for the early-season caution. Richards has failed to win the individual 400 metres title at either the Olympics or World Championships - track and field's top two meets - despite being rated the top runner in the event over the past four years.

Recent setback

Her most recent setback was the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, where she ran the fastest time in the heats (50.54 seconds) and semi-finals (49.90). Richards was the only runner to break 50 seconds going into the final, but then one fading stretch run brought it all tumbling down.

"I had been dreaming about that gold medal for three years," she said. "Of course, to fall short was so disappointing."

The favourite was quickly away in the final, but finished third behind Britain's Christine Ohuruogu and Jamaica's Shericka Williams.

Ohuruogu's winning time of 49.62 seconds, .01 slower than her personal best which won the 2007 IAAF World Championships, is nowhere close to Richards's fastest of 48.70 done in late 2006.

Yet, Richards' Olympic 2008 disappointment took its place among the rest that have dotted her major meet career so far. She was second at the IAAF World Juniors in 2002, fourth at the 2003 World Championships and failed to make the US team in the event for the 2007 World Championships.

It's an ominous pattern even she can't ignore. She knows it's time to start winning the "big ones," to justify her status, but Richards is not about to push the panic button. History is on her side. But patience, she believes, is her best weapon.

Not desperation

"No, it's not desperation," she said, explaining her current mindset. "I think desperation will just lead to more failure. Most athletes start their careers at 24 years old. So even though I have been on the scene for a long time, I'm still only 24. I think my best years are ahead of me.

"I know when Ana Guevara, Tonique (Williams-Darling) and all those athletes won their titles they were 27 and up, 28, 29. So, you know, I'm definitely not desperate for it. I wanna have it 'cause I train hard and I think that I deserve it. I've been number one ranked (in the 400 metres) for the past four years. But I'm not desperate. I'm just gonna keep working hard, just staying humble, staying patient. Hopefully, I can get it."

She thought she had in Beijing. According to Richards, her strategy was on point.

"I executed a great race," she said.

It just didn't last. Richards believes jangled nerves cost her the gold medal on August 19. Now the problem she must overcome in Berlin has little to do with speed.

Outside circumstances

"Honestly, I think was definitely prepared to run really fast and I just think like outside circumstances made me not perform at my best (in Beijing)," Richards explained.

"The night before I was so anxious I didn't get much sleep. So I just feel like I was physically and emotionally drained from everything that happened at the Olympics.

"So this year I think it's more of a mental preparation, being able to just relax, you know, get my rest and then being able to run my best race."

It starts with the first steps on Saturday, in her first competitive individual 400 metres race of the season. They (first steps) will be small ones, but they will have to do for now.