Super-excited Thompson relishes 4x100m title bid

Nassau, Bahamas:

Reigning Olympic sprint double champion Elaine Thompson says that she is "superexcited" about being able to make her World Relays Championships debut in The Bahamas, where she's hoping to lead Jamaica's defence of the women's 4x100m title.

Thompson missed the last two championships, in 2014 and 2015, due to personal reasons despite her selection.

However, the Olympic champion says that she is ready to help Jamaica defend the 4x100m title, which they won in 2015.

"I am superexcited! I have been selected the third time for the World Relays, and this is my first time going, and so I am really excited and looking forward to it."

The Jamaican women's team will be without veterans Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown for the championships, but despite this, Thompson said that they have a very talented team that will do well in The Bahamas.

We can take it

"Despite two of our main athletes not being on the team, I believe that once we can take that baton safely around, then we can definitely take home that gold," she said.

"They (Fraser-Pryce and Campbell-Brown) are my role models, and for me to be trendsetter now, I am just going to keep pushing so that we can take home the gold for Jamaica," she said.

Defending the 2015 victory won't be easy for the Jamaicans, and strong competition is expected from the rebuilding United States. It's why there will have to be careful selection of the legs for each runner.

Thompson said that she is not sure which of the legs she will be competing on at the championships, but she will be "more than happy" to run any of the legs.

"I am not sure which leg I will be running, but any leg I am selected for, I will take it on," the Manchester-born sprinter said.