Melaine is petite.  This is the only advantage her competitors ever get.  They know that the pussycat look masks a liioness which never backs down from a fight.  She will be the first to tell you that she hates the intermediate hurdles.  But her strong character and the never-say-die attitude picked up as a youngster have helped to make her the best of her generation in the toughest event on any programme.

Melaine took gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 setting the Jamaican National Record in the 400m Hurdles.  She then returned a year later to repeat the feat in Berlin even with less than ideal preparation.  Honestly, after growing up in the challenging Maxfield Avenue neighbourhood in Jamaica, she could have done a lot worse.

Undoubtedly, Melaine is an example of what can be acheived with hard work and steely determination.  The sad thought her competitors must live with is htat she is still developing in the event.  A long way to go and much more hardware to fight for.