Veronica Campbell-Brown

Gordon Williams, Contributor

She now has a husband and a new address. Days are warmer, and training is different. So is her name.

Yet while some things changed for Jamaica's only reigning World and Olympic champion over the past few months, her ultimate ambitions were not among them.

Sprint star Veronica Campbell-Brown, who officially attached her husband Omar's surname to her own after the longtime sweethearts wed late last year, has her sights firmly set on winning the 100 and 200 metres at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

That dream is not new. And while adjustments, like moving the couple's United States home from chilly Arkansas to balmy Florida and putting her body through ramped up workouts have added twists to Campbell-Brown's preparations, they are viewed simply as needed sacrifices to make it come true.

"I'm just very focused," she said on Tuesday. "I know exactly what I want at the Olympics."

Skipping the indoor season

That means skipping the indoor season to avoid injury and submerging herself in gruelling early season endurance work. Her routine is a bit different than last year when longtime American coach Lance Brauman was in prison. According to Campbell-Brown, it includes additional long distance running and weight training - up from three to four times a week, now done after practice - and running "a hill in Florida that gets serious."

It's all designed to make her stronger. Campbell-Brown's mental toughness has never been questioned, so the plan is to reduce the physical strain caused by the quest for the coveted Olympic double - including preliminary rounds and finals in both events - to ensure she's not drained and short of her best.

That appeared the case at last year's World Championships. After a brilliant run to win the gold medal in the 100 metres, in one of the closest races in track and field history, Campbell-Brown, tiring when the 200 metres final came around, finished second to American Allyson Felix. Campbell-Brown has never broken the 22-second barrier in the event, making it difficult to imagine she could have beaten Felix's breathtaking 21.81 seconds in Japan. Yet without the fatigue brought on by the rounds, and fuelled by the competitive rush of going up against the talented American who she had beaten at the '04 Olympics, Campbell-Brown still wonders if she could have done better than 22.34. Or at least improved on her personal best of 22.05 nearly four years ago.

At the 2008 Olympics she hopes to find out.

So Campbell-Brown's workouts are planned to deal with every detail, obstacles that may pop up before, during and after Beijing. She has discussed her suspect start with Brauman, but won't work out of the blocks for another few weeks. That will be closer to actual competition, which could include the Jamaican International Invitational at the National Stadium in early May. The basic platform must be set first. This time Campbell-Brown, who should again win Jamaica's "Sportswoman of the Year" award, is leaving nothing to chance.

"Everyday, every time we do drills there is a particular thing you focus on," she said.

Enjoying the work

The former Vere Technical standout is enjoying the work, especially since she is free of a 2006 leg injury that threatened to derail her World Championships bid. That doesn't mean it's easy, especially now that Brauman is not just relaying workout schedules. Without her longtime coach's presence in 2007, Campbell-Brown admitted she struggled. She still worked hard, but missed that extra push. Flaws may have gone undetected. Not this time around.

"Definitely, last year was tough," Campbell-Brown said. "It's different now that coach Brauman is here."

So too is the overall environment. In the past, January in Arkansas meant freezing temperatures and limited outdoor work for Campbell-Brown. Florida's warmth is more to the Trelawny-born sprinter's liking. Her favourite Jamaican products, such as yam and jerk seasoning, are easier to get there. Marriage didn't hurt the transition, even if the couple insists the ceremony merely sealed a deal they had long worked out.

"Nothing has changed," Campbell-Brown said. "I feel I've been married a long time."

"We just made it official before God," explained her husband, a 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist in the 200 metres who will try for the Olympics as a quarter-miler.

The focus is back on track. The goal is peaking for a hard 2008 campaign to come. Being asked to do more is just part of the plan.

"Training has been more challenging this year," she said recently while relaxing at home. "Coach Brauman is stepping the pace up."

The Brauman camp also includes Jamaican sprinter Dwight Thomas and American World Championships triple gold medalist Tyson Gay. Campbell-Brown, now 25, said the new workouts are designed to freshen up the routine and keep the athletes in stride with what their body is capable of handling, ensuring they hit peak performance at the right time.

"We are getting older, getting more mature," Campbell-Brown explained. "... (It's) to maximise our potential. You can't keep to the same regimen."

It's simply about making changes.

Gordon Williams is a Jamaican journalist based in the United States.