Legend Ottey in late surge

Ottey says she is in good form and ready for action

Jamaican sprinter Merlene Ottey is poised to earn a last-gasp call-up to the women's Olympic 100m.

It appears as though the 40-year-old two-time world 200m champion will take the place of national champion Peta Gaye Dowdie, who has failed the selectors' criteria.

"The criteria are that the runners who filled the first three places of the trial should turn up at the Olympics in the same shape that they were in at the trials," said a Jamaican official.

"Unfortunately Gaye-Dowdie went back to summer school in America and apparently did not train at all.

"My understanding is that Merlene will run instead of Gaye-Dowdie, although of course the official announcement will be made on the 20th."

Perfect race

Ottey is eager to run, saying: "If I could produce the perfect race, I will have a fantastic result."

Suspended for a drugs offence last year, Ottey was reinstated just in time to compete at Jamaica's Olympic trials in July.

I'm in very good shape considering everything

  Merlene Ottey

But the veteran of five previous Olympics finished only fourth and was only included in the sprint relay squad.

"I cannot comment on the Olympic Games," Ottey maintained after completing her first training session in Sydney since flying in from her base on Queensland's Gold Coast.

"The team hasn't been decided yet. I have to wait a couple more days. I can't say anything more until then."

Tension

The tension in the Jamaican team was evident during Ottey's hour-long training session.

While she worked on her race starts with Slovenian coach Srdjan Djordjevic, seven other members of the Jamaica team sat in the shade nearby, ignoring Ottey.

Ottey is certain that her recent form deserves consideration for a place in the individual 100m.

"I'm in very good shape considering everything," she said. "I came here having had just two months to get fit for the Olympic Games.

"It's not the best, but that's all I have. I came to Australia after running 10.99sec in my last competition in Europe, and now I've had another two weeks' training."

Headwind

That 10.99sec - a world record for a woman of Ottey's age - ranks her 12th in the world this year, and was run into a strong headwind.

Ottey's subsequent form has shown constant improvement, including a wind-assisted 10.91sec in a pre-Olympic warm-up meeting near Brisbane at the beginning of the month - the fastest time ever seen in Australia.

But the question remains not how Ottey will perform, but whether she will be picked to perform.

"It's not my problem, it is a sport politics problem," said Djordjevic. "It is up to the Jamaican federation to decide."