Athletics Hero: Veronica Campbell

Name : Veronica Campbell
Nationality: Jamaica
Date of birth : 15th May, 1982
Place of birth : Trelawny, Jamaica
Height : 1m 63 cm
Weight : 61 kg
Nationality : Jamaica
Education : Barton Community College, USA
Speciality : 100m, 200m

Veronica Campbell was born to Cecil Campbell and Pamella Bailey in Trelawny, Jamaica on May 15th, 1982. She has 9 brothers and sisters. She attended Claredon High School before pursuing higher education in the U.S. Campbell attended Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas USA. She also excelled in academics earning an Associates Degree from Barton County in 2002 with a 3.8 grade average. She went on to attend The University of Arkansas. Inspired to compete in Track and Field by fellow Jamaican athletes Donald Quarrie and Merlene Ottey Campbell began competing internationally. In 2007, she married Omar Brown, a fellow Jamaican sprinter and University of Arkansas alumnus.

She won the 100m at the 1999 World Youth Championships at the age of 17. In 2000 she became the first woman to win the sprint double at a World Junior Championships. In 2000 Campbell also competed in the Olympics earning a Silver Medal on the team that finished 2nd to the Bahamas infamous "Golden Girls." She found herself running with her idol Merlene Ottey on the team.

At the 2004 Olympics, Campbell first placed third in the 100 m and two days later won the 200 m, beating out Allyson Felix of the United States. She later teamed up with Aleen Bailey, Tayna Lawrence, and Sherone Simpson to win the 4 × 100 m relay race.

In August 2005, Campbell won the silver medal in the 100 m at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics as well as another silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay (together with Daniele Browning, Aleen Bailey and Sherone Simpson).

At the 2007 World Championships, Campbell won three medals with a gold in the 100 m, a silver in the 200 m (second to Felix) and a silver in the 4 × 100 m relay.

In 2008, she successfully defended her Olympic 200 m title in a new personal best time of 21.74 s. Teamed up in the 4x100, Jamaica did not finish the race due to a mistake in the baton exchange. At the end of the 2008 season, Campbell-Brown was selected the top 200 m runner in the world as well as the fourth best in the 100 m (following three other Jamaicans) by Track and Field News. She also finished eighth overall in voting for the magazine's Woman of the Year.

At the 2009 World Championships Campbell was fourth in the 100 m final behind teammates Fraser and Stewart. She then won her second World 200 m silver behind American Allyson Felix. She closed the season at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, recording her fastest of the year (10.89) to take second behind Carmelita Jeter, who became the second fastest ever with 10.64 seconds.