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RANDALL'S ISLAND, New York - Reigning IAAF World Championships women's 100m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown and former men's 100m world record holder and World Championships bronze medallist Asafa Powell will headline the Jamaicans participating in today's fifth staging of the Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island, New York.
Jamaica's 100 metres former world record holder Asafa Powell (background) and training partner Michael Frater lead the nation's charges at today's fifth staging of the Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island, New York.
Both sprinters are recovering from foot injuries and will be fighting for fitness leading into the national Senior Trials in a month's time and will run the 100m races.
A large contingent of 24 Jamaican senior athletes are scheduled to take part in the meet, which is the fourth stop of the USA Track and Field's Visa Championship Series.
Additionally, Olympic 400m hurdles champion Melanie Walker and National Junior record holder Kaliese Spencer will make their seasonal debut over the one-lap obstacle race.
The meet organisers, athletes and spectators will be hoping for improved weather this year after last year's renewal was badly affected by thunder storms and lightning, causing nearly three hours in delays.
A then world record run of 9.72 seconds by Usain Bolt made up for the delays and discomforts.
Reigning IAAF World Championships women's 100m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown will be going after her fourth straight win.
Weather forecasts for this year are calling for perfect sprinting weather with the temperatures in the 70s.
Today, a number of top American, European and other Caribbean athletes, including Olympic medallists are also scheduled to take part in the meet. These include men's 400m silver medallist Jeremy Wariner, who will line up against compatriot and world champion Tyson Gay in the 200m.
Powell, who is coming off an ankle injury, will be seeking to post his first sub-10 second time of the season after running just one competitive 100m race - in Australia in February - so far this season.
Powell has 48 legal times under 10 seconds, 10 coming last season and 20 over the past three seasons.
Powell passed himself fit on Thursday, telling a press conference held in Manhattan, "everything is going smooth so far. I had an ankle injury ... but I'm back and I'm ready to run".
The track at Icahn has been known for fast times and runners have also benefitted from favourable winds.
Gay won the men's 100m in 2007 with a time of 9.76 seconds, but the wind was just above the allowable limit at +2.2 m/s, while Bolt's run last year as aided by a +1.7 m/s wind.
Six Jamaicans will be in the race, which will be run in two sections with Powell's MVP teammates and Olympic relay gold medallists Nesta Carter and Michael Frater, along with Winston Barnes also taking part.
Yohan Blake of Racers Track Club and former Vere Technical sprinter Steve Mullings are also included in the mouth-watering line-up that will also see Trinidad and Tobago's Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson, Antigua's Daniel Bailey, who ran 9.99 seconds in Brazil last weekend, his first sub-10 seconds time.
Twenty-year-old Blake will get an early chance to make up for his error at the Adidas Classic in Carson, California two weeks ago when he failed to react to the starter's pistol and was left in the blocks.
Travis Padgett who won at the Doha Super Grand Prix earlier will also take part along with another Trinidadian, Aaron Armstrong.
In the women's 100m, Campbell-Brown who made her first appearance of the season with a wind-aided 10.81 seconds at a low-keyed meet in Florida last week, will be going after her fourth straight win.
Campbell-Brown, who missed two important meets after being sidelined with an infected toe on her left foot, will join compatriots Aleen Bailey, Sherri-Ann Brooks and Schillonie Calvert as the Jamaicans in the race.
Campbell-Brown has the meet record of 10.91 seconds that she ran last year when she beat American Marshevet Hooker, who will return this year.
Allyson Felix, a 200m specialist, will also line up in the race along with Trinidad and Tobago's up and coming Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Lauren Williams, Carmelita Jeter, Bianca Knight and France's Muriel Hurtis.
Five women, including the 200m defending champion Bianca Knight of the USA, Shalonda Solomon, Bahamian Debbie Ferguson, Williams (22.75 seconds) and Hurtis are listed to do double duties in the sprints.
Jamaica's Simone Facey, who won a 200m race in Florida last weekend, will take her place at the start line and will be Jamaica's only representative after Olympic 100m champion Shelly Ann Fraser was withdrawn earlier this week after her connections at the MVP club said she was not at full fitness.
Danny McFarlane will hope to avenge his loss in the 400m hurdles last year to the American Kerron Clement when they meet again today.
Two other Jamaicans, Dean Griffiths and Markino Buckley are also down to take part in the event.
In addition to Walker and Spencer, Jamaicans Nickesha Wilson and Shevon Stoddart who was second last year, will line up in the female 400m hurdles event which will also see Great Britain's Tasha Danvers taking part.
Olympic finalist Richard Phillips lines up against a tough field in the men's 110m hurdles race, while national record holder Kenia Sinclair will clash with American Hazel Clarke in the 800m.
The evergreen Chris Williams, a World Championships silver medallist will carry Jamaica's flag in the men's 200m where he will match strides with Wallace Spearmon, who has won here for the last three years, Tyson Gay, the world champion and Wariner.
Ricardo Chambers and Sanjay Ayre will contest the men's 400m where they will face a number of Caribbean runners such as Trinidad's Rennie Quow and the Bahamas pair of Chris Brown and Andrae Williams, as well as the world leader Lashawn Merritt (44.50 seconds), Kerron Clement and Andrew Rock.
Jovanee Jarrett, the leading Jamaican long jumper so far with a season best 6.45m, will contest the women's long jump against the likes of Brianna Glenn, who has jumped 6.65m already and Sweden's Carolina Kluft.
Jamaica's 100 metres former world record holder Asafa Powell (background) and training partner Michael Frater lead the nation's charges at today's fifth staging of the Reebok Grand Prix at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island, New York.Both sprinters are recovering from foot injuries and will be fighting for fitness leading into the national Senior Trials in a month's time and will run the 100m races.
A large contingent of 24 Jamaican senior athletes are scheduled to take part in the meet, which is the fourth stop of the USA Track and Field's Visa Championship Series.
Additionally, Olympic 400m hurdles champion Melanie Walker and National Junior record holder Kaliese Spencer will make their seasonal debut over the one-lap obstacle race.
The meet organisers, athletes and spectators will be hoping for improved weather this year after last year's renewal was badly affected by thunder storms and lightning, causing nearly three hours in delays.
A then world record run of 9.72 seconds by Usain Bolt made up for the delays and discomforts.
Reigning IAAF World Championships women's 100m champion Veronica Campbell-Brown will be going after her fourth straight win.Weather forecasts for this year are calling for perfect sprinting weather with the temperatures in the 70s.
Today, a number of top American, European and other Caribbean athletes, including Olympic medallists are also scheduled to take part in the meet. These include men's 400m silver medallist Jeremy Wariner, who will line up against compatriot and world champion Tyson Gay in the 200m.
Powell, who is coming off an ankle injury, will be seeking to post his first sub-10 second time of the season after running just one competitive 100m race - in Australia in February - so far this season.
Powell has 48 legal times under 10 seconds, 10 coming last season and 20 over the past three seasons.
Powell passed himself fit on Thursday, telling a press conference held in Manhattan, "everything is going smooth so far. I had an ankle injury ... but I'm back and I'm ready to run".
The track at Icahn has been known for fast times and runners have also benefitted from favourable winds.
Gay won the men's 100m in 2007 with a time of 9.76 seconds, but the wind was just above the allowable limit at +2.2 m/s, while Bolt's run last year as aided by a +1.7 m/s wind.
Six Jamaicans will be in the race, which will be run in two sections with Powell's MVP teammates and Olympic relay gold medallists Nesta Carter and Michael Frater, along with Winston Barnes also taking part.
Yohan Blake of Racers Track Club and former Vere Technical sprinter Steve Mullings are also included in the mouth-watering line-up that will also see Trinidad and Tobago's Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson, Antigua's Daniel Bailey, who ran 9.99 seconds in Brazil last weekend, his first sub-10 seconds time.
Twenty-year-old Blake will get an early chance to make up for his error at the Adidas Classic in Carson, California two weeks ago when he failed to react to the starter's pistol and was left in the blocks.
Travis Padgett who won at the Doha Super Grand Prix earlier will also take part along with another Trinidadian, Aaron Armstrong.
In the women's 100m, Campbell-Brown who made her first appearance of the season with a wind-aided 10.81 seconds at a low-keyed meet in Florida last week, will be going after her fourth straight win.
Campbell-Brown, who missed two important meets after being sidelined with an infected toe on her left foot, will join compatriots Aleen Bailey, Sherri-Ann Brooks and Schillonie Calvert as the Jamaicans in the race.
Campbell-Brown has the meet record of 10.91 seconds that she ran last year when she beat American Marshevet Hooker, who will return this year.
Allyson Felix, a 200m specialist, will also line up in the race along with Trinidad and Tobago's up and coming Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Lauren Williams, Carmelita Jeter, Bianca Knight and France's Muriel Hurtis.
Five women, including the 200m defending champion Bianca Knight of the USA, Shalonda Solomon, Bahamian Debbie Ferguson, Williams (22.75 seconds) and Hurtis are listed to do double duties in the sprints.
Jamaica's Simone Facey, who won a 200m race in Florida last weekend, will take her place at the start line and will be Jamaica's only representative after Olympic 100m champion Shelly Ann Fraser was withdrawn earlier this week after her connections at the MVP club said she was not at full fitness.
Danny McFarlane will hope to avenge his loss in the 400m hurdles last year to the American Kerron Clement when they meet again today.
Two other Jamaicans, Dean Griffiths and Markino Buckley are also down to take part in the event.
In addition to Walker and Spencer, Jamaicans Nickesha Wilson and Shevon Stoddart who was second last year, will line up in the female 400m hurdles event which will also see Great Britain's Tasha Danvers taking part.
Olympic finalist Richard Phillips lines up against a tough field in the men's 110m hurdles race, while national record holder Kenia Sinclair will clash with American Hazel Clarke in the 800m.
The evergreen Chris Williams, a World Championships silver medallist will carry Jamaica's flag in the men's 200m where he will match strides with Wallace Spearmon, who has won here for the last three years, Tyson Gay, the world champion and Wariner.
Ricardo Chambers and Sanjay Ayre will contest the men's 400m where they will face a number of Caribbean runners such as Trinidad's Rennie Quow and the Bahamas pair of Chris Brown and Andrae Williams, as well as the world leader Lashawn Merritt (44.50 seconds), Kerron Clement and Andrew Rock.
Jovanee Jarrett, the leading Jamaican long jumper so far with a season best 6.45m, will contest the women's long jump against the likes of Brianna Glenn, who has jumped 6.65m already and Sweden's Carolina Kluft.