JAMAICA: Powell, Bolt race May6

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/html/20060424T220000-0500_103298_OBS_TRACK_STARS_ON_SHOW_MAY__.asp

Track stars on show May 6
Veronica Campbell, Sherone Simpson to renew rivalry in 200m
SEAN A WILLIAMS, Observer staff reporter
Tuesday, April 25, 2006

SMILES ALL AROUND: Olympians Cathy Rattray (left) and Donald Quarrie (right) share a joke with JAAA president Howard Aris at yesterday’s press conference at the Hilton Kingston Hotel to announce details of Saturday’s Jamaica International Invitational track and field meet planned for the National Stadium. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Top local and foreign track and field stars will descend on the National Stadium next week Saturday for the third staging of the annual Jamaica International Invitational Meet, it was announced yesterday.

Heading the men’s list will be world record holder in the 100M sprint Asafa Powell, Olympic 400M hurdles gold medallist at the Athens Games, Felix Sanchez, and World Junior record holder in the 200M, Usain Bolt.

Other top names in male competition outlined at a press conference at the Hilton Kingston Hotel yesterday are gold medal winner in the 4X100 relays at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia and 100M silver medallist at 2005 World Champions, Michael Frater, Commonwealth bronze medallist over 100M, Trinidadian Marc Burns, and LaShawn Merritt of the USA, the defending Jamaica International Invitational champion in the 400M and Jamaica’s Danny McFarlene, Olympic silver medallist in the 400M hurdles.

Other notable names are USA’s 200M runner Tyson Gay (best time of 19.93 in 2005) and Andrew Rock (gold medallist in the 4X400M relay and silver in the 400M at the 2005 World Championships).

The women’s list will be headed by Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell (Olympic champion in 200M), Sherone Simpson (Commonwealth champion over 200M), American Lauryn Williams (gold in 100M, 4X100 at the 2005 World Championship and silver in Athens Olympics), 200M runner Mona Lee of the USA. Also from the USA, 200M competitor Dee Dee Trotter and Sonya Richards (gold in 4X400 at the Athens Olympics), Monique Henderson (4X400M gold at Athens Olympics), Joanna Hayes (Olympic champion at 100M hurdles) and Jamaican Brigitte Foster-Hylton (gold medallist at 100m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games).

It will be interesting to see the 200M showdown between Jamaica’s sprint queens Campbell and Simpson, as the latter defeated the Olympic champion for the Commonwealth gold in Melbourne, Australia, recently. And of course the 400M hurdles showdown between Jamaica’s McFarlane and the Dominican Republic’s Sanchez.

There will only be two field events - the triple jump and high jump for women only and World Champion Trecia Smith is expected to headline that field.

Meanwhile, Olympian and one of the meet’s organisers, Donald Quarrie, said a selection process is currently underway to select a number of Jamaica’s youth athletes to compete in a B 100M race.

“We have not identified those athletes yet, but we will be making a list and then to select from that… we have not made that decision yet, but I am sure it will be made this week,” he said at yesterday’s press function.

He said he expected other junior athletes from the Caribbean to participate in this B race. “There are some athletes coming from the Caribbean and we want to give them a chance as well to compete in that B race,” he said.

The meet, in its third year, is expected to pull the crowds and the president of the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA), Howard Aris, gave specific figures.

“We are hoping to have 18,000 persons and if we get that we would be successful.”

Ticket prices are $500 for the Bleachers and $1,000, $1,500 and $2,000 for Grand Stand.

Aris, one of the founding architects for the meet, outlined how it all started.

“When Jamaica hosted the World Juniors here in Kingston, the then Prime Minister PJ Patterson and then Minister of Sports Portia Simpson Miller, the president of the IAAF Lamin Diack, myself and Don Quarrie met with the possibility to resume what we had years ago called the Norman Manley Games, and it was out of that we decided to have this annual event,” said the veteran sports administrator.

The event is not run by the local governing body, the JAAA, but by Independence Park Limited, a company within the Sports Ministry.

“It is really promoted by Independence Park Limited and we try to attract the best athletes to come to Jamaica to provide good entertainment for the public. Also, it gives our current athletes and young athletes coming up a chance to compete and interact with international stars,” Aris explained.

High rollers off the boats, I would think…

Not really, the Jamaican Currency is very low, the average (jamaican) person could afford those tickets.

Jamaica Dollar $2000, $1500, $1000 and $500 is the equivalent of:

US Dollar $32, $24, $16 and $8.

(1 US$= 66 JD$)