Misha Lobban, Gleaner Writer

Veronica Campbell-Brown shows off her 200m gold medal.- Charles Pitt/Freelance Photographer

Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies. - Aristotle

Veronica Campbell-Brown created history this year when she became the first female to win the women's 200m finals at two consecutive Olympics. She also created a record by clocking an impressive 21.74 seconds - her personal best and the fastest time in 10 years - when she won the 200m finals at the Olympics in Beijing, China.

Campbell has been creating history on the tracks since she was 17 years old, when she became the first female to win the 100m at the inaugural International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Youth Games in 1999. The following year, she won her first Olympic Games medal (silver) at the Sydney Games. She created yet another historical record that same year at the IAAF World Junior Championships to become the first female to win the 100m and 200m.

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, her medal haul - two gold and a bronze - earned her the recognition as the most successful Caribbean athlete at a single Olympic Games. She was also the first female from the Caribbean to win an Olympic sprint title when she won the 200m.

She continued her record-breaking performance at the 2007 World Championships, when she won the 100m title and became the first athlete to win the full offering of the IAAF sprint titles.

Her exploits in the field of athletics have earned her great admiration and respect here in Jamaica and worldwide. It was, therefore, fitting that she was awarded the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) in October of this year, for her outstanding performance in the sport of track and fields.

Her best friend is her long-time sweetheart and husband, Omar Brown, who is also a track and field athlete. Omar is the 2006 Commonwealth Games 200m champion. In this week's feature, Omar shares interesting insights about one of Jamaica's finest athletes, including her spirit of determination and her passion to be great. Omar also reveals that Veronica is a very competitive bowler with a personal best score of 198.

How did you meet Veronica Campbell, and how long have you been friends?

I met Veronica in 1998 at a JAAA athletic meeting that was held for members of the World Junior team in France. I was there to compete in the 200m and 4x100m. When we met, what attracted me to Veronica was her warm personality, her sense of humour and her beauty. Over the years, we have spent a lot of time together and we have supported each other in both academics and athletics.

Tell us what you admire most about her and why you have remained friends all these years.

She is a lovely person with numerous qualities. Her humility, her passion to be great, her sense of humour, her kindness and her caring spirit are only a shortlist of my admiration for her. We complement each other in terms of our personalities and so our relationship was able to grow from friendship to marriage.

Tell us something interesting about her.

Veronica enjoys bowling and she is very competitive when bowling. She is actually a really good bowler and has a personal best score of 198.

What are some of the things you talk about when you get together?

We talk about life, the past, the future, business issues, just about everything.

Share with us one of the happiest moments you have experienced with her.

We have shared many happy moments but our wedding day (in November 2007) will leave a lasting effect. Just having all our family members and close friends there made it special, plus, knowing we were making it official that we would be building a life together.

Tell us the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of her, and why.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Veronica is determination. She works extremely hard to achieve her goals and whatever she believes in.

What are her favourite food, favourite music and favourite sport?

Veronica's enjoys a variety of food but her favourite dishes include rice and peas with jerk chicken, ackee and saltfish with roast breadfruit. She listens to a wide variety of music, such as gospel, reggae and rhythm and blues.

Obviously, her favourite sport is track and field, but she also likes tennis.

Tell us the colour that you associate with her:

Yellow - signifying someone you'll never forget

Orange - signifying someone you consider your true friend

Red - signifying someone you really love

Green - signifying someone who has had a significant impact on your life

I would associate all of the above colours with Veronica because the definitions of each colour coincide with the way I feel about her. She is honest and caring and we have a friendship that will last forever. Veronica has been in my life for over 10 years, and I am proud to call her not only a true friend but also a wonderful wife.

Omar Brown - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer