A NUMBER of world's best track and field stars arrived in the island yesterday.
Heading the list of athletes landing at the Norman Manley International Airport yesterday for Friday's first Jamaica International Invitational meet at the National Stadium were Americans Marion Jones, Tim Montgomery and Jearl Miles-Clarke.
Mozambique's Maria Mutola was scheduled to arrive last night.
Lacena Golding-Clarke, Monique Hennagan, Cydonie Mothersill, Michelle Ballentine, Vonnette Dixon and Davian Clarke were some of the other athletes who arrived yesterday while Gail Devers head the list that will come in today.
Jones, a triple gold medallist (100m, 200m, 4x400m) at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, will compete in the long jump and 100m while Mutola who has not lost a 800m race in two years will again face the starter in the two lap event.
Montgomery, the world's 100m world record holder, is down to run the premier sprint event where he will face Jamaicans Dwight Thomas and Llewelyn Bredwood along with his fellow countrymen John Capel and Coby Miller.
The 200m race, despite the withdrawal of Usain Bolt should still be hot with American Coby Miller, the world's fastest man Kim Collins of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Jamaican trio of 2001 World Championships 200m silver medallist Chris Williams, Latonel Williams and Ricardo Williams.
Another hot race on the card is the men's 400m where Olympic and world 400m hurdles champion Felix Sanchez of the Dominican Republic goes up against Jamaicans Michael Blackwood, a former world No. 1, Davian Clarke, 2000 Olympics bronze medallist Gregory Haughton, Michael McDonald and the fast-rising World Junior Championship bronze medallist Jermaine Gonzales.
National sprint double champion Aleen Bailey, Tayna Lawrence, former national champion Peta-Gaye Dowdie, will challenge Jones in the women's 100m.
Juliet Campbell, Beverley McDonald, Debbie Ferguson of the Bahamas and Dowdie will line-up in the 200m for women. Jearl Miles-Clarke of the US, Jamaicans Renetta Smith and Sandie Richards are some of the athletes listed for the women's 400m.
American Gail Devers will face Jamaicans Lacena Golding-Clarke, Delloreen Ennis-London and Vonetta Dixon in the women's 100m hurdles.
