In person, Veronica Campbell-Brown is polite, sophisticated and friendly. Showing off a toned body in a sporty outfit and with basic make-up on, Veronica's sunny disposition and polished attitude hardly betrayed her long-haul flight to Singapore, having landed just hours ago.

From left: Dexter Lee, Veronica Campbell & Asafa Powell entertains the crowd at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee office

Veronica dropped by our sunny island last December with teammates Asafa Powell and Dexter Lee to appear as guest stars at the Singapore 2010 Friendship Camp. They were they to offer timely advice to young athletes at the camp and even held a sports clinic with Singaporean students.

Veronica Campbell giving a sports clinic to students from local twinned schools under the Friends@YOG programme

And indeed, Veronica Campbell-Brown's advice should be heeded. 

At the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Veronica became the first Jamaican woman to win the gold medal in the 200-metres. She was only 22-years-old then.

It was also a statement since Veronica had beaten then hot favourite, Allyson Felix, to the finishing line with a timing of 22.05 seconds.

History repeated itself as Veronica once again outdid Allyson in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games finals. Veronica won her second consecutive gold medal in the 200 metres sprint clocking in 21.74 seconds.

She is not just stopping there. Veronica is aiming for the London 2012 Olympic Games and guess what? She wants to become the first woman to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals in the 200 metres event.

While some say that all brawn makes for no brain, Veronica is all brawn and all brain. A consistent student through high school and college, she graduated from Barton County Community College, Kansas with a 3.8 grade average. She later went on to further her studies at the University of Arkansas.

Focused and disciplined, Veronica's motto is to "aim for the sky". Believe us, she's one to watch.

WhyOhGee.sg finds out Veronica's secret to success in this exclusive interview.

How did you become on the fastest women around?

Being gifted really helped and I had a lot of support from my friends, family and management team.

It is really a lot of hard work and dedication. I attended Vere Technical High School, one of the most competitive sports programme in the Jamaica high school system. I had to train very hard to gain a spot on the team for the school championships.

As a young athlete, how did you balance your school work and training?

As an athlete, you have to train very hard, so you'll have to cut down on social activities like partying from dusk to dawn.

You got to go to sleep early because you have to study hard and train hard. You have to get to school and training on time and work hard at both areas.

I remember in the University of Arkansas when I had to bring my training clothes to class because classes ended late and I had to go straight to training. After training it was time for homework, studying and preparing for the next day. I'm not going to say it's easy. It's challenging but it's doable as long as one is dedicated.

You wrote a book, "A better you, Inspirations for Life's Journey". Tell us why you wrote that book.

I wrote the book because I realized that there's a lot of people out there who needs encouragement and uplifting. When they are feeling down and dismayed, I would like to inspire them. My book is based on my past experiences and challenges over the years. I'm glad that I've gotten good reviews so far. In the future, a biography is definitely a possibility.

What do you think of the Youth Olympic Games?

Singapore will do an excellent job. A lot of athletes will definitely benefit from YOG and it will bring a lot of future athletes. The youths are the future generation and the exposure that they will get in YOG will be useful in their senior career.

I would definitely have wanted to compete in YOG if there was one during my time.

Any advice for young athletes?

Stay positive, train hard, aim for the sky and never let disappointment get you down. You will surely have setbacks but failure is something that should make you stronger.

What is your next goal?

It was an excellent feeling and blessing to win the 200 meter gold at the Beijing Olympic Games. It was my only event. To win the 200 meter gold medal back-to-back is a feat and I'm hoping that I can win the gold medal for the third consecutive time in the London Olympic Games.

Get to know Veronica better through her website.

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