Walker Ready To Defend Title

BIRMINGHAM, England:

"Everybody may want to beat Melaine, but they also know that Melaine always shows up for the championships."

With a season best of 54.44, which was done last week Friday at the Herculis Diamond League meet in Monaco, Olympic 400m hurdles champion Melaine Walker entersnior Staff ReporterLondon full of confidence and in very high spirits. She has good reason too.
The last time that Walker has been this fast at this stage of the season was in 2007, suggesting that the former St Jago student will be entering the showpiece event in prime condition; ready to defend the title she won in commanding style four years ago in Beijing.

"The preparation is coming along great; the last race I did I ran a season best so I am very grateful for that," Walker said. "Overall, I'm doing great. You know me, I just always come to the championship and show up."

Walker, who seems for the most part to have overcome some of the niggling injuries of previous seasons, says she is more than prepared to deal with the pressure of being the defending champion and the person that everyone will be gunning for in London.

"If somebody wants to target me then that's their business; for me, I just go up there and compete and focus on myself, and that is how I keep the pressure off myself," said Walker.

Going to do my best

"There is a God, and I hope that when I go out there I will be able to run to my very best. If I go out there and run my personal best and I am not the champion, then I will still be a happy person because it would have meant that I did my best," Walker added, before expressing her delight with the reception that she has received since arriving in Birmingham.

"The camp is wonderful. I think that they appreciate us as athletes being here, and they have great security; it's the first I have experienced it like this," said Walker. "It has never been this tight, but they have seen the need for that and they have made us feel really safe and special here."