By MATTHEW J. ROSENBERG -- Associated Press
 KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Cleared of charges she used banned steroids that kept her from international competition for a year, Merlene Ottey began her push for one last Olympic appearance Thursday at Jamaican trials and promised to be "the fastest Jamaican around" by the time she gets to Sydney.

 Shortly after winning the 100-meter heat at the Jamaican National Championships in 11:09 seconds, the former University of Nebraska track star once more declared her innocence and said her main focus is qualifying for the upcoming Australian Olympics.

 Despite her strong showing, the 40-year-old Ottey admitted her nearly yearlong fight to clear her name had taken a heavy toll and that she still was not fully prepared for competition.

 "I started to run and began to think 'What do I do now?' because I haven't raced much," she said in an interview. "I'm confident that in two to three weeks, I'll be in my best shape.

 "By the time it comes to Sydney, I should be the fastest around, or at least the fastest Jamaican for sure," Ottey declared. "I just hope everyone realizes that."

 Affectionately known as the "Sprint Queen" in her Caribbean nation of 2.6 million people, Ottey withdrew last summer from the World Championships in Seville, Spain, after traces of Nandrolone were found in her system in an initial test.

 "At first I was very angry because people didn't know me and they were pointing fingers and there were people I didn't expect to say some things they did, but I guess they all have their reasons," Ottey said. "But it was only a small amount of people that were really against me, so I was able to let go of this bad feeling and try to focus on the majority of the people, who were for me, and that really helped."

 She was initially cleared by the Jamaican Amateur Athletic Association, but the International Amateur Athletic Federation sent Ottey's case to arbitration.

 On July 10, the arbitration panel in Monaco cleared Ottey, concluding the Swiss laboratory had improperly tested her urine sample, and lifted the ban.

 Jamaican officials, who feel vindicated, have said Ottey could run in the Olympics even if she does not qualify. She needs to finish in the top three of the event, which continues Friday, to qualify to run in the 100 meters at the Olympics.

 Ottey speculated that the International Amateur Athletic Federation pressed her case "to take revenge."

 When her test results came back positive, federation officials contacted her manager and suggested she fake an injury and withdraw from the championships, she said. But "I said 'No, I'm not going to do it, I'm innocent, so why should I do it?"'

 "When ... I didn't fake this injury and decided to tell the world (about the test), I think it was s shock to them," Ottey said.

 If Ottey had been found guilty, she would faced a two-year ban from competition, effectively ending a career that has netted her seven medals in five Olympics, including two silver medals at the 1996 Games, and made her among the most popular sports stars in Jamaica.

 "When this thing happened, the first thing I thought of was the people in Jamaica," Ottey said. "I think we suffer a lot in Jamaica and we don't need to suffer more. If it had gone the other way, it would have been a very bad example.

 "But now (Jamaicans) know and they still believe in me and for them it will maybe give them the courage to fight and compete harder in the future."