The world's premier sprint star, Usain Bolt, will be absent but organisers of the 2009 Jamaica International Invitational still expect a highly competitive meet, when action gets under way at 6:30 this evening at the National Stadium.
Athletes liaison Donald Quarrie said yesterday that the fields for all international events will include a number of top-class athletes and they will be competitive.
Expecting outstanding performances
"We are expecting outstanding performances. Usain (Bolt) is injured and will not be competing but we are sure that he will be out there supporting the meet and basically the (22) events are so loaded that we are expecting quite a few world-leading times. We are also expecting a few stadium records as the competition in the sprints is going to be tremendous," Quarrie said.
Bolt, the world-record holder for 100m and 200m, suffered minor injuries in a car accident on Wednesday in St Catherine and has been ordered by his doctors to rest for two weeks.
Today's men's 100 metres will include former schoolboy sprint star and national junior record holder for the 100 metres Yohan Blake and Quarrie has high hopes for him.
"Any one of the guys can win the 100m. We are hoping that Blake, our upcoming sprint star, will be able to pull it off but you have American Darvis Patton and the Olympic silver medallist from Trinidad and Tobago, Richard Thompson, so it should be a tremendous race," Quarrie added.
The 1976 Olympic 200m champion also pointed to the women's 400m where the Jamaican-born American Sanya Richards will have her hands full containing the local women.
They will be headed by Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion Melaine Walker, Beijing 400m finalist Rosemarie White, many-time national champion Novlene Williams-Mills, Sonita Sutherland and Anastasia Le-Roy.
Men's 400 metres hurdles
Another top event should be the men's 400 metres hurdles where Olympic silver medallist, American Kerron Clement, winner of this event in a fast 47.79 last year, will be having his season opener against his compatriot Michael Tinsley and Jamaica's top two, 2004 Olympic silver medallist Danny McFarlane and Isa Phillips.
Both Jamaicans have a 2009 best of 49.60 seconds for the 400m hurdles.
The Olympic final rematch between Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser, the Beijing gold medallist and joint silver medal winner, Kerron Stewart, should also be one of the highlights of the meet.
Also included in the field is Athens Olympics sprint relay gold medallist Aleen Bailey, whose 11.17 seconds makes her the fastest Jamaican woman so far this year.
Women's 100m
"The women's 100m will be outstanding. Kerron (Stewart) looked extremely well at the Penn Relays but I am sure that Shelly-Ann (Fraser) will be ready to go in the 100m. You will also be looking at American Marsharvet Hooker, who was a close second to Stewart last year," Quarrie said.
Stewart has clocked a wind-aided 11.10 this year but her best legal time is 11.27.
Another Olympic gold medallist will be on show in the women's 100m hurdles. American Dawn Harper, who pulled off a big surprise with a personal best 12.54 for gold in Beijing, will be going up against the Jamaican trio of Deloreen Ennis-London, Lacena Golding-Clarke and Vonette Dixon.
Local high schools will open the meet with the sprint relays for boys and girls and bring the curtain down at 9:30 p.m. with the 4x400m for both sexes.