Veronica Campbell-Brown has a competitive record that is the envy of athletes and track fans alike, with a cabinet full of medals from Olympics and World Championships. Twice Olympic 200m Champion, World Champion at 100m and 200m and twice at 60m (indoors), as well as numerous victories and medals at World Athletic Finals, Continental Cups, etc. Actually Veronica Campbell-Brown is one of the few athletes to claim victories in all IAAF events – World Youth, World Junior and World Championships – at 100m.
Veronica Campbell-Brown has personal bests which are truly outstanding with 10.76 (100m) and 21.74 (200m) and boasts a habit of being at her best when it counts most, but she will face a formidable competitive challenge on her first trip to Bislett stadium.
Oslo based Ivory Coast athlete Muriel Ahoure was a dual silver medallist at the Moscow World Championships in the sprints and showed great early season form when she finished second to Allyson Felix at the recent Doha Diamond League 200m. Ahoure has won at Bislett previously (200m) but will be looking to perform to the optimum in her chosen event – the 100m – where she has a personal best of 10.91 seconds.
Also providing further local interest will be Norway’s Ezinne Okparaebo. She is the Norwegian 100m record-holder at 11.10 and was desperately unlucky not to qualify for the 100m final at the London Olympics. She will use this classy competition to try and achieve her ambition of breaking 11 seconds for the 100m.
Fastest athlete in the field will be another highly credentialed competitor, USA’s Carmelita Jeter, who has a best time of 10.64 seconds, which makes her the second fastest women of all time over 100m. After a meticulous injury free preparation, Jeter will be looking to regain her position as the world’s no. 1 female sprinter.
Adding further to the value of this field will be two Caribbean sprinters of undeniable quality. Kerron Stewart has silver medals at 100m at both Olympics and World Championships (best of 10.75), whilst Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye burst onto the international scene last season with a series of sub-11-second victories (best of 10.85) and showed with a victory in the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Beijing on 20 May that she is again a serious contender in any 100m race.
