Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
Bailey ... straightening out difficulties with her starts. - FILE
OLYMPIC GAMES sprint relay gold medallist Aleen Bailey has her sights set on her first sub-11 seconds clocking this summer.
Bailey, whose personal best stands at 11.04 seconds, said: "I'm working on it (first sub-11). I am trying to do it in the summer, if not, then next year."
Asked if she feels under pressure to break the 11-seconds barrier, Bailey quickly replied: "No, no pressure. Just staying relaxed, and having fun, like I usually do. When it come, it comes."
With no major championships this year, Bailey, who missed to Commonwealth Games due to school commitments, said she was using this year to correct faults.
"We (coach Glen Mills and I) are just working on correcting my technique and working towards next year," she told The Gleaner recently.
"We are just pretty much straightening out difficulties I have with my starts and the rest of the race," she said.
"This year, we are going to focus on getting fit and ready for next year," added a confident Bailey, who is considered the vibes master among her track and field peers.
HAPPY WITH PROGRESS
Bailey, the 1999 Pan American Junior Championships sprint double champion, said she was happy with the progress made so far this season.
"Yes, I am (happy), it's getting a bit better," she said.
"In my starts, the guys don't have that big of a gap, it is more of a smaller gap now, which is good."
Earlier this season, Bailey ran a 400m and competed on Jamaica's 4x100m team at the Penn Relays.
"The 400m I ran was just to see where I was, shape wise. At the Penn Relays, I ran better than I thought I would, so that's a plus. It shows that everything is falling into place."
The 25-year-old Bailey, the 2003 CAC Championships sprint double champion, left the island earlier this week for Los Angeles where she will compete at this weekend's Adidas Grand Prix.
As for the remainder of the season, Bailey said she is not aware of where she will compete because "I haven't received my schedule yet."
Bailey returned to the island last week after completing her studies at University of South Carolina.
She said while she was away, her coach, Mills, sent her workouts which were monitored by a coach in South Carolina.
