'I had to train hard'

Anthony Foster, Gleaner Writer

Olympic 100m champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser, got a welcoming reception fit for a heroine upon her return to Jamaica yesterday.

Fraser, the first Jamaican female to win the Olympic 100m title, when she sped to victory in Beijing in 10.78 seconds, arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport just after 6p.m.

It was the second fastest 100m clocking ever by a Jamaican woman behind Merlene Ottey's 10.74 national record.

Sports Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange led a welcome reception for Fraser and Markino Buckley, a finalist in the men's 400m hurdles. The welcoming team also included Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA) president, Howard Aris, Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) chief, Mike Fennell, Member of Parliament Anthony Hylton.

The athletes were taken away in a convertible BMW, provided by Stewart Motors, to Vale Royal where they met with Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

Fraser, who gave a touching speech as she reminisced her early days in Waterhouse and "cleaning her shoe on the way to school", was met outside the airport by a huge gathering from her community and UTech/MVP.

Key to her success

She told the function, which was held in the Airport VIP Lounge that hard work was key to her success.

"I had to train hard because no one knew that I had the talent ... and I was like behind the scene and no one was noticing me," she said.

"That made me even more confident to work harder and achieve what I wanted," added Fraser, who said she always wanted to take care of her mother.

She also hailed the support of her family, but made special mention of Asafa Powell, her MVP teammate.

"I am close to Asafa, very close to Asafa. He is the one that has been pushing me a lot," added Fraser, who won the IAAF World Athletics Final.

Buckley, however, sang a different song.

He first thanked God for taking him throughout the season and spoke of his dream to one day champion the world.

"From I was small I always wanted to be on top and to be the greatest athlete in the world. I am not there as yet, but one of those days," he promised.