"The younger girls are running really fast. I’d like to think I have a lot of experience under my belt, and so if I need to call on that experience, I feel like I can, but at the end of the day, you know, it’s just to do my best every time and let the chips fall where they may"

"You know, I try to keep a clear mind and a loose body, I try to focus on what I can control. I know I can do all the hard work that’s possible but it’s God who gives me the strength to keep going and provides the opportunities and I’m just really grateful, and I keep that in mind and just enjoy the process. I mean, it’s not going to last forever, so while I’m in it, I enjoy what I’m doing"

"It felt good, the start felt really good. I definitely would like to get hurdles eight, nine and 10 a little bit more efficient in the next round, because everybody’s coming all guns blazing in the semis and so if I want to make it to the final, I have to be as sharp as possible"

"It felt pretty good. I mean, it’s a bittersweet feeling because usually we’re one of the last events at the championship and now we’re one of the first. I was like, ‘Okay, this is different, but I like it.’ Got it out of the way, got the rust off, the dust off, and, you know, did what I came out here to do"

"Last season was a rough one but this year I am back stronger, and today was an indication that I really overcame what happened last season"

"This is going to give me a lot more confidence, and I just want to stay injury-free and stay healthy throughout the season"

"I didn’t expect this fast an opening time because running sub-45 this early in the season, I am really surprised by it"

"It was very shocking to go sub-45 this season. It was very mind-blowing, but I continue putting in the work and listening to my coach's instructions"

"Jamaica has the talent. This is our best quarter-mile programme in a long while. All of us are performing very well, running sub-45 seconds. We give God thanks. I hope all of us are injury free going forward"

"It was manageable for me. I just had to get out and try to maintain (my form). I didn't get really much to do. There was a lot of pressure because, as you know, people thought I would drop out at first, so I got to prove them wrong, and now I came here and made it to the semi-finals. I am grateful for that moving forward"

"We’re working on a lot of things, you know, most of the weak areas,"

"Just train hard, work hard, stay healthy, put God first"

"I’m just trying my best so that I can medal at the Olympic Games, stay in good condition, good health"

"despite we weren’t a contender, but I gave my best"

"I gave it my all"

"It’s more about hard work, mostly listening to my coach and taking as much instruction. But this season, everything is going well so far"

"It’s an honour to win this award and I’m humbled to accept it. It will keep me motivated as I continue to work towards my targets"

"The season was a tough one, but we went out there with our heart and our soul and we put on a show"

"You get a lot of motivation when you achieve your first victory of the season"

"Even though the achilles injury was challenging and meant I was unable to sprint or even walk at times, I continued to work. To come back from that and achieve what I did is a surreal feeling and I’m happy and proud"

"Every champion has struggles that they’ve been through. There will always be obstacles and you have to learn to hurdle them – you’re never too old to learn new stuff. I think I’ve learned a lot over the past year, and the main thing is that I’ve learned to listen to my body. Like any athlete who wants to be a champion, you tend to want to train through your pain, but sometimes it’s better to rest and listen to your body, which will help you in the long run. That’s one of the mistakes I’ve made in the past; I’d try to push through the pain"

"I told myself that I want to be the greatest female sprinter, so I am just going to focus on what the future holds for me."

"I would say I am very, very proud, but I cannot dwell on the past. Even though it’s very special, it’s memories. I cannot just sit and say ‘OK, I’m a double Olympic champion, I’m a five-time Olympic gold medallist’. I have to continue working because my motivation is to be even better"

"I know Usain (Bolt) has won Laureus awards before, so to bring this trophy back home to the Caribbean, also in Jamaica, is very special"

"Process is training hard and trusting in God. That’s all it is. Trusting in God, trusting in the training that I put in, trusting in the abilities that I have, and believing without a doubt that everything will work out for the good of those who love the Lord and were called for his purpose. If that’s me, that’s me"

"As a kid I remember being fearless. Back then I didn’t worry about expectations. I was unafraid. I was wild and free but also very driven and I played many different sports: cricket, basketball and soccer"

"I lived in a very disciplined, strict household, where we may not have had everything we wanted but we had everything we needed"

"We weren’t a rich family but growing up in that environment taught me life lessons about how to work hard and be grateful for what I have"

"Since I was young, I was never afraid of a challenge. I always wanted to test myself. I’d run against the older guys. At church I wanted to sing the most challenging songs. I was always keen to be around elders at bible studies because I wanted to learn more"

"I think I can get below 12.90 seconds. I just have to put the race together, and I intend to do that before the end of the season"

"To get under 13 seconds, I just have to keep doing what I have been doing in training. I just want to put what I am doing in training on the track. Once I do what I am doing in training, then sub-13 seconds would be pretty easy"

"Early last month, I was tested out of season. I expected to be negative on that test like I have been on every test I have ever taken throughout my career. I was surprised to receive a letter on Tuesday (November 2, 2023) by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission of an adverse analytical finding. I have decided to take the option to have my B-sample tested, of which I await the results"

"I am stunned at the turn of events because I have always conducted myself with the highest level of integrity in the sport, which I love dearly and would never seek to gain an unfair advantage I intend to defend my integrity during this process because I am certain I did not knowingly breach the rules. Out of respect for the process I will not comment further until the process is concluded"

"To fix this, I had to do some serious soul searching and ask what works for me. It was less a case of giving advice to my younger self; it was more about what I could learn as an adult from my younger self. How could I reconnect with that feeling of fearlessness? I realised to rediscover a happy Omar, I needed to be in a happy environment. This would help me become a healthy Omar which translates to a fast Omar"

"In the streets I used to lay down buckets and cans to jump over in races. Sometimes I used to put one bucket on top of another just for the challenge. I was a crazy, wild kid and that fearlessness has grown with me as my track career has developed"

"I had injuries and I was becoming consumed by track and field"

"Sometimes it’s hard and just that extra push, that extra call really goes a far way, mentally. A lot of people don’t understand it, but once you’re good mentally then you’ll perform a lot better"

"Knowing that I have a great support team behind me with my agent, my coach, my girlfriend and my mom, it is a good feeling to know that you have people in your corner that really believe in you"

"When COVID hit, I literally gave up because I thought it didn’t make any sense but then after, I said I was going to try again. It wasn’t really going good but I started to find myself little by little. It is very heartwarming knowing that every time I step out there, I have someone that I have to get this job done for"

"I was not really focused because I had just left high school, I was young and was just finding myself"

"Honestly, when I was at university, it was going good at first but I didn’t have the financial support to really carry me through"

"My son is my biggest motivation, honestly. He is my biggest, biggest motivation. Most times I’ll call him and I say ‘Hey, I’m going to run today’ and he says to me ‘Okay daddy, run, run, run, run!’ The fact that he says those stuff to me and he understands, I’m very grateful because it tells me I am building a path that he can be better than I was"

"I just want to focus on what I have to do and don't get distracted by anything right now"

"I have really worked hard to get where I am at now, but it feels normal"

"I don’t put pressure on myself."

"I don’t like sprinting."

"I will sprint but I don’t like it. It’s so difficult, I tell people every day I give sprinters a lot of credit because whenever I sprint I feel so much pain."

"I am not scared to say I go for help when I want help, because I think that should be on top of everybody’s list."

"If you want the help, go get the help."

"experience in track and field will also help me to drive home a point to young athletes because I have gone through it already."