Ottey faces anxious wait

Merlene Ottey: One more 100m for Jamaica?

Merlene Ottey's bid to compete in the the 100 metres at the Sydney Olympics has received a knockback after being told that the only way she would run in the event is if a qualified athlete withdrew from the Games.

President of the Jamaican Athletics Association, Adrian Wallace, said that an Olympic bound athlete would have to either withdraw, become injured or fail to maintain competitive shape.

The Jamaican sprint star has alreday admitted that she will not run for the national relay squad if she is not allowed to run in the individual race, although she is training to run in the 100 metres event.

Open to debate The rule about maintaining form is open to debate but this has been clearly outlined to each athlete travelling to Sydney.

"The reason for this is that in previous years, athletes have run at national championship and done reasonably well, but by the time they reach a designated games or championship, indications show that their standards have fallen off significantly," said Wallace.

"But we have pretty much a month to wait on see what happens, if anything."

Entries for this years Olympics close on 11 September but final confirmation of 100m competitors will not come until 20 September.