Women's 100m hurdles, men's 400m the hot events

Saturday's Jamaica International Invitational meet at the National Stadium will give track and field enthusiasts a first glimpse of what to expect in what should be a very hectic and exciting season.

With the outdoor season still very young, many year's best times are expected in the sprints and hurdles events.

Last year Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson dominated their rivals in both the men's 100m and the women's 100m and 200m on the Grand Prix circuit. All Jamaica will be hoping that both will maintain their form as they seek their first really big international titles at the August 25 - September 2 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. While Simpson is due to line up against Bahamian Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie in the 200m at Saturday's meet there are some doubts about the participation of men's world 100m record holder Powell who pulled out of last weekend's Penn Relays in the United States.

Fever pitch

Ferguson-McKenzie, with the third fastest 100m time this year, 11.14, is also due to face Jamaica's 2004 Olympic 200m gold medallist Veronica Campbell in the shorter sprint.

Interest in the meet, though already high, would have reached fever pitch if the organisers had been able to attract Kerron Stewart, the fastest rising new star on Jamaica's track and field scene. Stewart, a relay gold medallist at the 2002 World Junior Championships held at the National Stadium, has vowed to make her mark this year, and the former St. Jago athlete has already chalked up the world's best times over the 100m (11.10) and 200m (22.60).

Two of the more interesting events on the programme should be the men's 400m and the women's 100m hurdles.

Former teenage star Usain Bolt who ran some fast times over the 400m in his final year at Boys' Championships will line up against American LaShawn Merritt, the defending champion in the event, last year's second place Andrew Rock and the third place finisher Jermaine Gonzales.

Merritt who has consistently run below 45 seconds over the past two years and has a best time of 45.31 in 2007, will enter the one-lap event as the overwhelming favourite. The 20-year-old American has a best time of 44.14 and has already clocked 20.25 for 200m this year. Bolt who has been running the 200m in recent years and who reached the World Championships final in 2005 will be closely watched. If he hopes to make his mark in the 400m then he will be looking to get close to or below 45 seconds over the distance on Saturday and defeat his close friend Gonzales and American Andrew Rock.

Hot event

The women's 100m hurdles will, as usual, be a hot event. Olympic champion Joanna Hayes will line up for the race, but most local interest will focus on the Jamaican quartet of Brigitte Foster-Hylton, last year's Commonwealth champion, Delloreen Ennis-London who won silver at the Helsinki World Championships in 2005, former Commonwealth champion Lacena Golding-Clarke and many time national representative Vonette Dixon.

Hayes has already run a wind-aided 12.78 this year, but most of the other women will be having their first competitive outdoor runs in the event. Foster-Hylton had a very good 2006 on the Grand Prix circuit and would want to start 2007 with a victory which would give her the psychological advantage over her main local rivals going into the National Trials next month. At the Jamaica Invitational last year Foster-Hylton (12.69) defeated a crack field which included American Damu Cherry.

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