Debbie Dunn

Jamaican-born women's 400m indoor champion Debbie Dunn does not believe athletes who go on to represent the United States should be criticised, as in many cases they have not turned their back on the country, but simply done what was best at the time.

At last year's World Track and Field Championships in Berlin, while Jamaica were having their best-ever performance at a major track and field championship, there were several other Jamaicans doing likewise, but for other countries.

The country lost the women's 4x400 metres relay to the United States, but on that team were two Jamaicans in Sanya Richards and Debbie Dunn, who both migrated to the United States as teenagers. Dunn led off the team for the USA while Richards ran the anchor leg. Incidentally, Richards is the outdoor 400 metres champion for the United States while Dunn is the indoor champion.

Jamaican flags flying

"People should not be mad at people like me and Sanya for competing for the United States because there are many more Jamaicans who are doing so, but because we are having some success this is being highlighted and people are saying that we are sell-outs but this is not the case," Dunn told Star Sports. "When I saw the Jamaicans performing so well and saw the Jamaican flags flying all over, I was really happy to know that Jamaica and the United States were the two top teams."

A past student of Walkers Wood All-Age in St Ann, Dunn migrated to the United States when she was 13 years old and has been having the performance of her life in the past year. At the United States Indoor Trials last Sunday, Dunn produced a career best and stadium record of 50.86 seconds to become national champion in the 400 metres. The time was also the best in the world by a female in the event heading into next week's World Championships in Doha.

Dunn had never run under 53 seconds before but after clocking 52.17 seconds in the preliminary round, she went on to record her personal best in the final, winning her first national title.

Sanya Richards - file

According to the athlete, she was motivated by her performance in Berlin.

"After last year's World Championships, I was determined to build on that and although I do not like to compete indoors, I told myself that I am going to try because my coach told me that I could do it," said the 31-year-old Dunn, who was a part of the United States quartet that won silver at the 2006 World Indoor Championships.

Dunn started track and field at an early age at Walkers Wood competing in a number of events at sport day. She then made the parish team by competing in the District Association meet in Moneague, which saw her selected for participation in the All-Island Champs.

The quartermiler then attended Fairmont Heights High School, in Maryland, where she had personal bests of 24.1 and 54.7 seconds in the 200 and 400 metres and was District and State Champion in those events, along with the 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800 metres.

Despite not making any junior national teams, Dunn explained that she did attempt to try out for the Jamaica national team in 2000.

"I tried to make the Jamaica senior team in 2000 but I did not do well at the trials because it was the same year my father died and it affected me," she said.

"Track and field is a business and I made that decision to compete for the United States from that perspective because in that sense, there were more opportunities for me competing for them. However, I will always be a Jamaican."

Dunn is excited about the upcoming World Championships and gives a lot of credit to her coach, Steve Riddick.

"I am looking forward to competing in Doha and being number one in the world. I am excited and overwhelmed and I know I will be a target person but I am motivated and as long as I remain focus and follow the instruction of my coach, I know I will be successful.