Competing for Vere Technical High School, VCB won the sprint double twice in her final two years at Champs, adding a relay gold to take the treble in her final year in 2001. Her 100m record of 11.12 set that year still stands. In 2000, she won the 100m and 200m in 11.62 and 23.49 respectively.
However, she had to learn how to win. In 1999, she lost in both sprints St.Jago’s Melaine Walker. Walker edged her in the 100m clocking a winning time of 11.63 to VCB’s 11.65 but she was a more convincing winner in the 200m, clocking 23.71 to VCB’s 23.90.
Campbell-Brown, speaking during a Youtube interview with marketing and public relations consultant Tanya Lee, the Jamaican track icon said competing at Champs was an excellent experience for her.
“It taught me how to run and win under pressure and I think my days at Champs actually helped me in my career because it was so competitive,” said Campbell Brown, who won Olympic gold medals in the 200m in 2004 and 2008, and a 100m World Championship gold in 2007.
She explained that her battle-readiness was honed during those days when Vere and St. Jago High High were engaged in heated athletic warfare.
“At Vere, it was all about us and St. Jago at the time so everything we did was about training and preparing for Champs,” she said.
“Sometimes we would get up at 5 am to train and we didn’t mind because it was all about making the Champs team and when we got there to be able to put on our best show and run as fast and earn as many points as possible.”
She added that the atmosphere at Champs is like no other, including the Olympics and the World Championships.
“The excitement, the pot covers beating, the horn-blowing and all that just gives you that extra energy and to go out there and perform well and make your staff and teammates proud. The energy and the environment is second to none.”
After Champs, VCB would go on to win eight Olympic medals including three gold, 11 World Championships medals inclusive of three gold and two gold World Indoor medals among a total haul of more than 50 international medals won while representing Jamaica.
The announcement is met with palpable enthusiasm from JOA President, Christopher Samuda, who can't hide his delight, "The designs meet our approval, and their display will be an innovation bringing Olympism into the arena, reminding inspired youth that wearing the black, gold, and green is genetic, shaping character and tailoring personal aspirations, sewing seeds of success."
A sense of historical significance hangs in the air as the national stadium, once again, prepares to take center stage. JOA Secretary General/CEO, Ryan Foster, eloquently expresses the symbolic nature of the venue, "The national stadium will once more be a focal point for Olympism, a landmark from which sportsmen and women have been catapulted into being Olympic champions and global personalities, becoming an inspiration to generations of youth."
The JOA/PUMA partnership is lauded for its creative fusion of sports and fashion. President Samuda emphasizes the deeper meaning of national sportswear, stating, "This activation by PUMA underscores that national sportswear should be an experience and an honor that goes beyond what you wear to being how you wear it, contributing to a country’s sporting legacy – and that’s Olympism."
Fashion, as articulated by JOA Secretary General/CEO Foster, is not merely a reflection of the times but a profound expression of identity. "National apparel re-defines the past, defines the present, and shapes the future of a people." He highlights the distinction between ready-to-wear and custom-built, noting that the latter is driven by a 'fit to size' and bespoke value, characterizing the present and stylizing the future.
As the days count down, the buzz around the event intensifies. Jamaicans eagerly anticipate a taste of Paris, as Olympic sportswear is set to grace Independence Park. Inspired by the remarkable performances of Jamaican Olympians throughout history, the showcase promises to be a vivid celebration of the nation's sporting legacy.
PUMA's continuing commitment to the Jamaican Olympic movement is evident, with this display of Jamaican sport haute couture being hailed as "the dress rehearsal of greater things to come" by President Samuda. The stage is set for a truly groundbreaking moment at CHAMPS, where the collision of athleticism and high fashion will create an unforgettable spectacle, etching a lasting impression on the hearts of spectators and athletes alike.
Tina, who turns 16 in August, holds age-group records in the 100m for 13-year-old girls; 11.54, run into a headwind of -1.2m/s in Douglasville, Georgia on May 27, 2018. She also holds the 100m age-group record for 14-year-old girls, 11.27s, set at the National Stadium in Kingston on March 17, 2019.
Her sister Tia is not far behind with her personal best of 11.29s set in February 2020.
It borders on the extraordinary how close their personal bests are over 200m – 23.44 for Tia to 23.46 for Tina. The times were set in the same race, the Class-Three Girls 200m finals at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships in 2019.
The sisters were also among a quartet of Edwin Allen Girls that ran a super-fast 43.62s in the 4x100m relay at Central Champs at the GC Foster College in St. Catherine, in February.
Based on this evidence, there can be little doubt about the potential for these twins to go on to greater things. Even their now former schoolmate Kevona Davis, who knows a little about speed, is in awe.
“I personally think that they have a God-given talent and they are using it to the best of their ability and the sky is the limit for both of them,” said Davis, who will be off to the University of Texas on scholarship in the new school year.
“If they continue on the path they are on, be disciplined, work hard they will reap a lot of success.”
Davis, who boasts a personal best of 11.16, believes the twins may end up being even faster than she is.
“I honestly think that they can,” she said. “If they maintain their level of discipline and all that they have.”
At Champs 2019, Tina won the Class 3 100m in 11.27, while her sister took silver in 11.60, a relatively pedestrian time by their lofty standards.
In 2018, Tia won the Class 3 Girls 100m at Champs, while Tina was beaten over 200m by Gabrielle Matthew of Hydel High. Matthew clocked 23.60 to Clayton’s 23.76.
