Merlene Ottey, 1993

Merlene Ottey

MERLENE OTTEY, Ambassador at Large and Jamaica's track queen, is the most durable sprinter ­ male or female ­ of all-time.

Ottey burst on to the scene at the Moscow Olympic Games in 1980 where she won bronze in the 200m at the tender age of 19. Now aged 41, Ottey can look back on a career which includes more than 30 major championship sprint medals and the honour of being named the top female athlete of the decade (1990-2000) by Track and Field News, the sport's bible. That medal tally includes eight Olympic ones, but none are gold.

Well before the Sydney Olympics of 2000, Ottey tested positive for nandrolone but successfully appealed against a mandatory ban and then was a controversial choice on the track and field squad after failing to finish in the top three at the Jamaica National Trials.

She rode through the storm and won a silver medal with the 4x100m relay team.

Ottey now plans to take out Slovenian citizenship and will make a decision about her sprint future in April. She already has her eyes on a career in fashion designing ­ may it be as long and successful as her time in the fast lane.