Tony Becca

Jamaica picked up its first gold medal at the World Athletic Championships in Osaka, Japan, yesterday with Veronica Campbell, the Olympic 200 metres champion, winning the women's 100 metres.

In one of the closest finishes in the history of the championships - a finish that reminded me of that between Jamaica's Merlene Ottey and Gail Devers of the United States in the same event in the same meet in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1993; a finish that brought back memories of that between Jamaica's Herb McKenley and the U.S.'s Lindy Remigino in the 100 metres at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, a finish that reminded of that between Ottey and Devers in the 100 metres at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, - Campbell and Lauryn Williams, the defending champion from the U.S., hit the finish line at the same time with the clock reading the same time of 11.01 seconds.

It was close, so close that it took several minutes before the winner was announced, so close that the arguments, like those of the finishes between McKenley and Remigino, Ottey and Devers, as to who really won the race, will last for a long time.

In fact, it was so close that it could easily and without any argument from either Campbell or Williams, from Jamaicans or Americans, have been ruled a tie or a dead heat.

Extra special

It was so close that even after looking at the slow motion replay many, many times, even looking at the still photograph of the finish, it was difficult to determine the winner. According to Campbell, it was so close that she wasn't really sure - that nobody was sure for more than five minutes as they stood around looking anxiously at the screen.

It was a great race - a race which, with the top six crowding the line at the finish, ended in a blanket finish, a racein which, with Carmelita Jeter of the U.S. finishing in third place, there was also nothing, not even daylight, between Torri Edwards of the U.S. who finished fourth and Kim Gavaert of Belgium who finished fifth.

In winning the event, Campbell, winner of the women's 200 metres gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, winner of the 100 metres bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and winner of the silver medal at the World Championships in Helsinki in 2005, was brilliant.

And after coming from behind, her blazing finish, especially when compared to Asafa Powell's surrender the day before, made it extra special and very, very sweet.

As we lift our glasses in a toast to the outstanding Campbell, however, we must spare a thought for Powell who, on Sunday, finished third in the men's 100 metres.

As the dominant person in the event for some time, as the world recordholder at 9.77 seconds, Powell was expected to win the event. In fact, as far as many Jamaicans were concerned, despite his failure to win a medal of any kind in a major meet before, the Jamaican was expected to walk away with it.

Not a competitor

Unfortunately for Powell and for Jamaica, he did not win the race. In fact, to the disappointment of every Jamaican - even to the few who did not believe he would have won - the Jamaican, who, unlike Campbell, was leading at 50 metres, did not even finish second.

Although the bronze medal at a meet like the World Championships is not bad at all, there are those who, after questioning Powell's ability to compete ever since the 2004 Olympic Games, are now convinced that he is not a competitor.

Based on what happened on Sunday in Osaka, based on what he is reported to have said to Reuters after the race, he really does not appear to be a strong competitor - to be able to perform under pressure.

"When I saw I wasn't in gold-medal contention (after Tyson Gay had passed him around the halfway mark), I gave up. I just stopped running," said the man who has ran the world record 9.77 three timesbut could only manage 9.96 on Sunday while losing to Gay for the first time in six meetings.

"I said to myself there was no coming back from this," said the man who confessed that he felt free and was very relaxed before the race. "When Tyson came on and gave me a little pressure, I just panicked. In the middle of the race, the pressure got to me."

The Olympic Games is next year. Powell could recover and win the gold and hopefully he will do just that. His words after Sunday's disappointment do not sound promising.

Apart from Gay, apart from his cousin Derrick Atkins who won the silver in Osaka, apart from the many other sprinters around the world who now have reason not to fear him, Powell's greatest challenge in China will be himself.