Elton Tucker

Berlin, Germany

Simmering discontent in the Jamaica camp at the 12th IAAF World Championships here in Berlin boiled over on yesterday's penultimate day of the meet.

Veronica Campbell-Brown, a consistent member of Jamaica's senior relay teams, did not take to the track as expected for the women's 4x100 metres at 8:15 (Berlin time) last night.

A cloud has been over the team before the meet started.

The Jamaica Amateur Athletic Association (JAAA) had threatened to expel six members of the MVP Track and Field Club from the championships after they failed to show for a pre-meet camp in Nuremberg, Germany.

Disciplinary action may be taken against the six later this year after reports from the team managers here are in.

absence

The absence of Campbell-Brown from the sprint relay overshadowed another very good day for Jamaica at the meet as the country won two more gold medals to join the United States on seven.

The Americans, however, have a total of 17 medals - seven gold, five silver and five bronze.

Jamaica have seven gold, three silver and two bronze.

The absence of arch-rivals, the United States, in the women's sprint relay left Jamaica with the fairly easy task of mining gold in a relatively slow 42.06 seconds.

The Americans had failed to finish semi-final heat three in early evening after third-leg runner Muna Lee pitched and fell shortly after receiving the baton. She was later seen on television with her right hamstring tightly strapped and walking on crutches.

Like they did in Beijing last year, the men won the 4x100m to complete another awesome three-gold haul for Usain Bolt.

The world record eluded them but Jamaica still won in 37.31 seconds, the second-fastest time ever. It has only been beaten by the 37.10 world record the Jamaican quartet clocked in Beijing last year.

Trinidad and Tobago were second in a national-record 37.62, while Great Britain were third in a season-best 38.02.

The women who ran the 4x100m were mostly mum on the Campbell-Brown affair.

"I will not comment on that situation, you will have to speak to her ... " said anchor-leg runner and 100m silver medallist Kerron Stewart.

The 100m gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser, who complained of having problems when taking the curve since her appendectomy in April, said: "You definitely have to talk to Veronica (Campbell-Brown) on why she did not run ... but I don't know."

The Bahamas were second in the women's sprint relay in 42.29, while hosts Germany grabbed third from Russia in 42.87.

The men won the gold despite the fact that Bolt complained of being tired and the team ran out of an unfavourable lane seven.

Bolt said his performance here and that of the relay team showed that last year in Beijing was not a joke.

"I came out there and did almost everything that I did in Beijing. I just want to party now I have got to go out tonight as I have not celebrated all week."

Bolt, who ran his usual third leg, congratulated the rest of the quartet which included Steve Mullings on the opening leg and winning his first senior world-level gold medal, Michael Frater and Asafa Powell on the anchor.

" ... These guys ran very well, especially Asafa (Powell)," Bolt said.

Powell had been suffering from a groin injury since last week end and he was unsure about competing until one hour before the event.

"It was great that Asafa came out and ran. I was worried so I asked him if he was okay ... he said he felt good and he would come out there to try his best and he did that. The main aim was just to make sure we won. But it's over now."

weakened

The women's 4x400 metres quartet are in today's final but a makeshift men's team, weakened by the absence of the runners-up and third-place finishers from the National Championships, finished fifth in their heat and was eliminated.

The quartet of Leford Green, Ricardo Chambers, Isa Phillips and Jermaine Gonzalez finished sixth but were later promoted to fifth after first past the post, The Bahamas, were disqualified.

Jamaica clocked 3:04.45.

The women were second in semi-final two of their event in 3:24.72 behind Russia, who won in 3:23.80.

The Jamaican quartet in running order was Kaliese Spencer, Shereefa Lloyd, Rosemarie Whyte and Novlene Williams-Mills.

The 400m silver medallist, Shericka Williams, is expected to replace either Shereefa Lloyd or Rosemarie Whyte in today's final.

The United States won the opening heat in 3:29.31 ahead Nigeria 3:29.60.