Jamaica’s defending Olympics double sprint gold medallist Elaine Thompson-Herah and rising star Briana Williams will headline Saturday’s women’s 100 and 200m events at Saturday’s North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association New Life Invitational, a World Athletics Continental Tour-Silver at Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida.
The Jamaican pair will be among many of the compatriots expected to compete at the meet which could witness athletes from as many as 27 countries in the region.
World Champion Yohan Blake and improving discus thrower Fedrick Dacres are also down to compete and they fine-tune their readiness for the Jamaican National Championships slated for late June inside Kingston’s National Stadium.
It is also expected that a Jamaican men’s 4x100m relay team will compete, as they have not yet secured a place at the Olympics.
Thompson-Herah has dished out a 10.78secs over 100m this term, while Williams smashed her personal best twice in as many days last week, recording 11.01 before lowering it to 10.98 seconds. Her coach Ato Boldon expects her to go even faster if she executes the event more efficiently.
Other expected to feature in the event are Natasha Morrison, who has a personal best of 10.87 seconds, Jonielle Smith, Ashanti Moore and Shockoria Wallace, as well as American Tianna Bartolette, Bahamian Tynia Gaither.
In the 200m, Thompson-Herah and Williams can expect company from Natalliah White, Moore and Americans Britanny Brown and Gabby Farquharson.
Aside from Blake, other men’s sprinters listed are Rasheed Dwyer, Nigel Ellis and Tyquendo Tracey, as well as middle-distance runners Jazmine Fray and Rajay Hamilton.
Ellis and Blake can expect opposition competition from Tracey, Ryiem Forde, Kevaughn Rattray and Jelani Walker. American world leader Trayvon Bromell, compatriot Marvin Bracey and Jason Rogers of St Kitts will also line up in the event.
In the longer sprint, Dwyer leads the Jamaican charge alongside Andre Ewers, Oraine Palmer and Walker, against Trinidad’s Kyle Greaux, the UK’s Delano Williams and American Kendall Williams.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, world leader Shamier Little, as well as Olympic champion and world record holder Dalilah Muhammad will be accompanied by Ronda White, Shiann Salmon and Rushelle Clayton of Jamaica.
In the men’s equivalent, Kemar Mowatt, Kemario Eldermire, Romel Levy, Jaheel Hyde, Andre Clarke, all of Jamaica, will oppose American Kenny Selmon, Amere Lattin and Johnny Dutch.
In the shorter sprint hurdles, rising star Rasheed Broadbell will test his mettle against compatriots Ronald Levy and Andrew Riley, as well as Americans Jarrett Eaton and Dashaun Jackson, as well as Eddie Lovette of the US Virgin Islands.
Meanwhile, Danielle Williams, who was highly favoured to win gold at the last World Championships in 2019 in the 100m hurdles, will face Nigerian Tobi Amusan and Christina Clemons of the US.
Dacres leads a strong Jamaican group of throwers including Traves Smikle, Kai Chang and Chad Wright against Samoa’s Alex Rose.
Tiffany James, Junelle Bromfield, Chris-Ann Gordon-Powell and Verone Chambers are the Jamaican women down to contest the 400m against American Chloe Abbott, Panama’s Gianna Woodruff and Barbadian Sada Williams.
On the men’s side Akeem Bloomfield, who recently lost his mother to cancer, will contest the 400m alongside Nathon Allen and Rusheen McDonald against Lashawn Merritt and Quintaveon Poole of the uS, as well as Deon Lendore of Trinidad and Cayman Islands’ Jamal Walton.
