Asafa Powell and Veronica Campbell - file
OLYMPIC 200 METRES champion Veronica Campbell will headline a star-studded line-up for the second Jamaica International Invitational meet at the National Stadium on Saturday, May 7.
Campbell who became the first Jamaican woman to win two gold medals at the Olympics when she won the 200m and then anchored the 4x100m team to victory will be the feature attraction at the meet. She will compete in the 200m against bronze medallist Debbie Ferguson of the Bahamas and American Muna Lee who finished seventh in Athens.
Usain Bolt who opened his 2005 season with a 20.51 victory in the 200m in Florida last weekend will also have his first local race in over a year. Bolt who was dogged by injury for much of last year will face Americans Coby Miller and Darvis Patton in the 200m. Patton won the event at last year's first Jamaica Invitational.
Really hot event
One of the really hot events at the meet will be the women's 100m hurdles where five Jamaicans will face three of the world's best.
Coming for this event will be Olympic champion Joanna Hayes of the United States, world champion Perdita Felicien of Canada and Olympic silver medallist, American Melissa Morrison. The five Jamaicans down to compete in this event are national record holder Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Delloreen Ennis-London, Vonette Dixon, Lacena Golding-Clarke and Michelle Freeman who has been burning up the indoor tracks since her return from injury.
The men's and women's 100m will also provide sizzling action.
Jamaica's Asafa Powell, ranked number one in the world last year, will oppose 2003 world champion Kim Collins, Olympic relay silver medallist Coby Miller of the United States, Olympic relay gold medallist Mark Lewis-Francis of Great Britain and Jamaica's Dwight Thomas who is coached by Jamaican Olympian Trevor Graham. Graham also coaches Olympic 100m champion Justin Gatlin and 200m gold medallist Shawn Crawford.
Three Olympic finalists will compete in the women's 100m. Silver medallist Lauryn Williams heads the field. Williams, the world junior champion at the meet held here in 2002, will have much to fear from Jamaica's pair of Sherone Simpson and Aleen Bailey who finished just out of the medals in Athens, Tayna Lawrence a bronze medallist in Sydney five yeas ago and relay gold medallist in Athens, American Inger Miller and former national champion Peta-Gaye Dowdie.
The 19-event meet also includes the men's 400m and 400m hurdles.
Star attraction in the 400m hurdles will be Olympic silver medallist Danny McFarlane. Olympic 400m hurdles gold medallist Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic will also make the trip but he will run in the flat 400 against Jamaica's Olympic 400m finalists Brandon Simpson, Michael Blackwood and Davian Clarke. Also back is last year's winner Derrick Brew, the bronze medallist in Athens.
Top Kenyan middle distance runner Bernard Lagat will be in the men's 800m. Lagat ran a fantastic race for silver in the 1500m in Athens behind the great Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco.
In giving details of the meet at a press briefing held at The Hilton Hotel in New Kingston yesterday, organising committee member and 1976 Olympic 200m gold medallist Donald Quarrie said there was great interest in the United States and Europe.
"One of the key factors is that May 7 is very early, a lot of athletes want to see where they are at. A lot of athletes choose where they want to compete because for your first set of meets you just do not want to run anywhere. You want to run somewhere where there is a good crowd, good atmosphere, good competition and everyone is choosing this meet as a major opener because it provides all the attributes that they need," said Quarrie.
A 15-minute opening ceremony will precede the first two events, the men's long and high jumps. The last two events are the men's 200m at 9.30 p.m. and the women's 200m at 9.35.
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