Kingston: American sprint sensation Carmelita Jeter would love to face her Jamaican opponents on their home soil and has targeted the Jamaica International Invitational (JII) meet, an IAAF Area Permit event, as a good opportunity to do so.
According to Chris Layne, a member of Jeter’s Total Sports management group, the entity are in discussion with JII meet organiser Donald Quarrie to get a lane at the May 1 meet.
“Carmelita has had great competitive races with several of the top Jamaican sprinters and would love the opportunity to compete with them in Jamaica,” said Layne.
Despite losing out to eventual World Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser and silver-medallist Kerron Stewart at the Berlin World Championships last summer. Jeter ended the season as the world’s fastest woman, clocking a jaw-dropping 10.64 seconds at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix last September. Jeter’s time surpassed that of country woman Marion Jones (10.65) and second only to Florence Griffith-Joyner’s long-standing mark of 10.49.
Layne, however, was quick to point out that despite the athlete’s interest in competing in the meet, the talks were not at an advanced stage.
“We are very early in the process, as far as negotiations with Donald Quarrie are concerned, but as always, we want to support the meeting and send our top athletes to compete including Jeter.”
“It is too early to say if we will come to an agreement but I am confident both sides will do all they can to make it happen,” Layne added.
Top Jamaican athletes: two-time Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell, who recently won the World Indoor 60m title ahead of Jetter and World and Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser ran at the meet last year.
Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson who shared the Olympic 100m silver medal also participated at the meet.
There are no athletes that have yet confirmed their participation in the meet, but chairman of the organising committee, Howard Aris, at a press launch on March 9, said all the lanes in the 100m were full.
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