Olympics hopeful Naa Anang looks to build from return at Canberra Track Classic

The Queenslander has been easing her way back from a shin injury that has kept her out of action since 2019.

She made her season debut at the Canberra Track Classic at the AIS Track on Thursday night, finishing fifth in the 100-metres sprint with a time of 11.74 seconds.

Hana Basic, who recently ran the fastest time by an Australian for two years, continued her winning streak and crossed the line at 11.48 seconds - while Riley Day (11.57) and Ebony Lane (11.61) round out the podium.

No Australian athlete has bettered the Olympic standard of 11.15 seconds yet, but Anang has it in her sights as she targets qualification in both the individual and relay events.

Anang, who became the first woman to claim the 100-metres sprint and long jump double national title in 2019, said there's still a lot of work to be done ahead of Tokyo but is up for the challenge.

"It felt good to get back out there, I definitely wanted more and I know I've still got a bit of training to do to get back to where I was," Anang said.

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"I just had to race, I had to rip off the band aid and just see where I was and what I can work on. There's a lot, but I'm up for the challenge.

"It's given me fire in my belly again, I'm definitely very competitive. I'm going to go back and do everything I can to race them again and be a bit more of a competitor."

The Canberra meet began in heavy rain and the track was still wet when Anang stepped up for the 100-metre race.

But it didn't dampen the 26-year-old athlete's return, with Anang saying it could rain at the Olympics and other major events.

"Part of me was like, if I wanted to get wet I would have done swimming," she laughed.

"It's my first race back and it's raining but you can't control the weather.

"If it's raining at a major, what are you going to do? You have to learn how to adapt to any condition and that's what I used [Thursday] as, to just get out there and see what I can do.

"It was rough, but diamonds start rough and then they get pretty. So I'm hoping that's what will happen."

Like Canberra's Kelsey-Lee Barber, Anang is unsure what the future holds beyond next month's Australian Championships in Sydney.

She's willing to travel overseas should she not earn qualification in Australia, but would prefer to stay on home soil leading into July's Games.

'I really don't know, hey. It just depends on what's going on," Anang said.

"I would prefer to stay in Australia if possible, because travel and quarantine is difficult when I'm working and have university as well.

"If I can eliminate those factors that would be good for me, but sometimes you need to get overseas to have those faster races and compete against the girls you could race in the major.

"I'm open to both, but I'm hoping I can get the qualifier here."

She'll next compete at the Queensland Track Classic on Saturday, March 27.