Hemmings

Beijing, China:

Olympic gold medallist Deon Hemmings-McCatty believes her presence has been welcomed by the athletes heading into the six-day IAAF World Junior Championships.

Hemmings-McCatty, who won the 400m hurdles at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, said the athletes are pleased to have her in their company.

"Just to be here, I know a lot of them are excited to be around me," said Hemmings-McCatty, who is doubling as press liaison officer and assistant manager of the team. "I motivate them, (the athletes) are a disciplined group."

Hemmings-McCatty, the national 400m hurdles record holder at 52.80 seconds, spoke one-and-one with the athletes, especially Edino Steele, Sherene Pinnock and Kaliese Spencer.

She said after speaking with Steele who lives in the United States and heard him "talk about some of the problems he is having, I tried to encourage and tell him it's normal and he has to be positive".

As for the two young girls who will be running the 400m hurdles Hemmings-McCatty, who became the first Jamaican woman to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games, she did pass on some words of advice.

"That's my pet event and I was able to talk to them and the other athletes who are competing on Tuesday," she said.

- Anthony Foster