Roma ITA - What a difference a year makes.

At last year’s Borotalco Golden Gala - IAAF Golden League, Sherone Simpson was a largely unknown Jamaican still trying to find her way among the world’s premiere athletics stages. Her performance was a modest 11.34 clocking, for eighth place in the early evening 'B' race.

This year she returned as the year’s fastest sprinter, and didn’t disappoint with a stubbornly won 10.87 performance against a top notch field. It was the first Golden League victory for the young Jamaican, still a month shy of her 22nd birthday, and she was bouncing with joy.

“This was definitely the biggest win of my career,” she said, after her tenacious effort in the race’s waning moments held off Marion Jones’s trademark late race charge. “It means a lot to beat Marion Jones. Marion is a very good competitor and to win against Marion I think is very, very good.”

Despite her persistence over the final few seconds, Simpson, a World Championships finalist last year, said the key to the race was with her strong start.

“The key of the race was the first 60 metres. I think that was very important. I really never ran the first 60 metres in Paris and I really worked on it in training this week. I’m happy I did, and I think that really paid off today so that I could be victorious.”

At the Stade de France last Saturday, Simpson never challenged for the lead after a sluggish first half to finish a distant second to Jones, 10.92 to 10.98. In Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, the roles were nearly reversed.

“Yes I felt her, and I’m happy that I was strong enough and came through comfortably in the last 20 metres and really held off Marion. But I’d like to improve on the last 30 metres. I think that my head was a bit back and I have to work on that. But overall I think the race was very good.”

Jones, who improved her season’s best to 10.91, offered her praise. “Looking at her performance in Paris, I knew she was quite capable of running fast, and she proved that today,” Jones said. “My hat’s off to her and I just look forward to the next one.”

After producing several fast performances on home turf in Jamaica –11.01 in 2004, 10.97 in 2005, and her world-leading 10.82 at last month’s national championships that put her on the doorstep of the event’s ten all-time fastest – Simpson knew coming into the Paris and Rome legs of the IAAF Golden League that she had to prove her worth outside of her Island home’s narrow confines.

“That is so true. And I said that this year would have to be a different year. I’ve always run well in Jamaica so I have to do well on the European circuit.”

But her strength this year hasn’t been limited to the short dash. At the Commonwealth Games in March, she upset compatriot and Olympic champion Veronica Campbell to win the 200 in 22.28, and later followed up with a 22.00 to complete her double at the national championships, also the fastest this year. She’s not picking favourites right now, and has a pair of 200s penciled into her schedule in both Stockholm and London later this month.

Young sprinters aren’t always known for their patience, but Simpson seems to have that mastered as well. Hobbled by some minor aches and pains earlier this week, Simpson chose to sit out Tuesday’s Lausanne meeting, in retrospect, a wise decision as she continues to make her way among the event’s elite.

“Last week in Lausanne I had a slight discomfort so I had to pull out of the meet and I’m very happy I did,” she said. “I rested and that made the win here.”