Shelly-Ann ... Bubbly heroine

For most Jamaicans, Olympic and World 100-metres champion Shelly-Ann Fraser has been nothing short of a model athlete, the perfect ambassador of the so-called virtues that go along with being a responsible sportsperson.

A bubbly heroine who exuded the warmth and charm of the people she has represented with such gusto and pride. That was, of course, before she tested positive for the banned substance, Oxyco-done, early last year. Fraser had taken the morphine-like drug to ease a toothache while she was competing on the circuit in China and was subsequently banned from competition after a drawn-out spell of back-and-forthing.

In what was perhaps the biggest track and field story of 2010 - Heck! Make that the biggest sports story of 2010 - huge question marks were raised around the MVP Track Club superstar, and for the first time in her young but successful career, Shelly-Ann was being projected in a not-too-pleasant light.

There is no doubt that the former Wolmerian's choir-girl image has been somewhat bruised, however, let's hasten to point out that Oxycodone is neither a performance- enhancement substance (PES), nor is it a masking agent for PES.

Nevertheless, a six-month ban does not look good on anyone's books, not even Fraser's. But to be fair to the 24-year-old and her management team, they have dealt with the situation pretty decently since news broke of the, well let's just call it 'mishap'.

"I am blessed. I know that I am a blessed person and I'll definitely overcome," were Fraser's exact words during an exclusive interview with The Gleaner late last year. You would be foolish to bet against the effervescent pocket-rocket reclaiming her place among the hearts of sports-loving fans this year.

Fraser has recommitted her dedication to her coach, family, friends, and the same people who have both praised and persecuted her in the same breath, and has determined that she will once again prove her doubters wrong in the coming months.

With the International Association of Athletics Federation's World Championships in Athletics sche-duled for Daegu, South Korea, later this year, and a wedding with her long-time boyfriend, Fraser will no doubt have the stage and the drive to once again rise to the top. And we all know how she enjoys making a splash on the biggest of scenes.