Campbell-Brown

Defending 100-metre world champion, Veronica Campbell-Brown, ran her last pre-Berlin race on Tuesday in Monaco, an inauspicious third place finish behind Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser and Bahamian veteran Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie, who both dipped below 11 seconds.

Campbell-Brown's 11.03-second clocking may not have been the time she was hoping for going into the 12th IAAF World Athletic Championships, but given how her season has unfolded the two-time Olympic 200-metre champion is being forced to work with what she got.

Hampered by an inflamed toe earlier in the season which kept her out of training for five weeks, Campbell Brown's preparation was again recently interrupted by a hamstring cramp she sustained following a 10.96 performance during a win in Greece two weeks ago, which kept her out of training for a several days.

Still, according to Campbell-Brown's manager, Claude Bryan, the veteran sprinter, her confidence intact, does not plan to make any 'drastic changes' to her programme as she continues forward towards the defence of her 100-metre title.

She does plan to work on improving her starts, Bryan reveals. A notoriously weak starter, 'VCB' was left in the blocks by Fraser in Monaco, and was not able to recover. Her weak start also prevented her from representing Jamaica in the women's short sprint in Beijing last year; not that it mattered, as her teammates swept the medals at the Olympics. She is well aware that if she is to repeat as world champion her start will have to improve significantly.

In Berlin, as one of only seven women to dip below 11 seconds this season, Campbell-Brown will be up against two of the fastest women in history, countrywomen Kerron Stewart, who produced a personal best 10.75 race in Rome, and Fraser, a great starter, who has also had injury worries this season but who has times of 10.88, 10.91 and 10.91 in her last three races, including her victory over Campbell-Brown in Monaco.

Defending champion

The defending champion will also most likely face American Carmelita Jeter, who has a few sub-11-second races, including a season best of 10.92 in London a little over a week ago; and a pair of resurgent Bahamians in Chandra Sturrup (10.99) and Ferguson-McKenzie who, after her 10.97-second race in Monaco, is confident she can win a medal in Berlin.

Bryan, while acknowledging that the 100-metre dash will be stacked, believes Campbell-Brown will remain undaunted and will be prepared to defend her crown. "Respect is given to every competitor she has or will ever face, with no emphasis on any particular line-up for any final ever contested or to be contested," he said.