Elton Tucker, Assistant Sport Editor
Asafa Powell, Sherone Simpson, Usain Bolt and Veronica Campbell
MORE THAN 500 of the island's elite athletes will be hunting places on Jamaican teams to several international meets at next weekend's National Senior Championships.
The top prize for each athlete will be a trip to the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, from August 25-September 2. The other major meet is the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from July 13-29.
The sprint events - men's 100m, 200m and 400m and women's 100m, 200m, 400m and 100m hurdles - will, as usual, be the feature attractions at the three-day meet. World record holder Asafa Powell is untouchable in the men's 100m but the remaining two qualifying spots for the 100m are up for grabs. Powell's training partner Michael Frater won the silver in the event at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki and his big-occasion experience will count. Dwight Thomas also has loads of experiencebut both will have to fight off young gun Yohan Blake who has already run 10.11 this year, Lerone Clarke (10.15), Julien Dunkley (10.10), Clement Campbell 10.14, Steve Mullings (wind-assisted 10.02) and Chris Williams (10.12 wind-assisted).
Usain Bolt will rule the roost in the men's 200m. Ranked number three in the world for 2007, Bolt has already run 19.89 for the distance. Others to watch include Chris Williams, a world silver medallist in the event in 2001 and a 2007 best of 20.17, Commonwealth champion Omar Brown, Ricardo Williams, who clocked 20.32 recently, and Marvin Anderson who also has a 2007 best of 20.32.
hot race
The men's 400m will be very hot. American College champion Ricardo Chambers is by far the fastest and is the firm favourite for top spot. Chambers, who won the NCAA title in Sacramento, California, last weekend, is the only Jamaican to crack the 45-seconds barrier this season, but many-time national champion Michael Blackwood is ranked number five in the world for 2007 and will be difficult to beat. Sanjay Ayre and Lansford Spence are the other leading competitors.
Isa Phillips pushed himself into the spotlight last weekend with a personal best 48.51 to win the NCAA 400m hurdles title. The time is the fastest by a Jamaican this year. The only other Jamaican to go below 49 seconds is 2004 Olympic silver medallist Danny McFarlane with 48.83. It will be close for the three World Championships places as Kemel Thompson, Dean Griffith, Ian Weakley and Gregory Little are all capable of running fast times.
Unlike the men's sprints, the women's events will be very close. Any one of three women can take the 100m and 200m.
Sherone Simpson, based on last year's form, is ranked number one in the world in the 100m but the fastest Jamaican this year is Veronica Campbell with a 10.91 run on May 20 in Carson, California. Rising star Kerron Stewart has a 2007 best of 11.10, Aleen Bailey (11.17), Sheri-Ann Brooks (11.19) and Simone Facey (11.19) are the other top contenders.
hogging the spotlight
Campbell has clocked a wind-aided 22.39 for the 200m this season and is the reigning Olympic champion. The two who have been really hogging the spotlight are Stewart with a 2007 best of 22.41 and Facey (22.49). Simpson, the fastest woman in the world last year with 22.00, has run only one 200 - a 22.76 effort at the Jamaica International Invitational meet on on May 5.
The powerful long-striding Stewart won the NCAA title in 22.42 last weekend and could upset the established pair of Simpson and Campbell.
Novlene Williams and Shericka Williams will dominate the women's 400m. Ranked number three in the world, Novlene Williams has a 2007 best of 50.66 and Shericka Williams, 51.12. Davita Prendergast (51.31) and Shereefa Lloyd (51.36) are the two other top Jamaicans in the event.
The women's 100m hurdles will, like the 100m and 200m, be very competitive. Brigitte Foster-Hylton whipped her main rivals with a 12.71 clocking at the May 5 Jamaica International Invitational and is on top of her form. She ran a number of 400m races early in the season and appears to be very strong. Vonette Dixon has been very active and has a 2007 best of 12.76. Delloreen Ennis-London (12.79), Lacena Golding-Clarke (12.90) and Nikiesha Wilson (12.93) will make this event one of the best of the championships.
Melaine Walker's world leading personal best 54.14 for 400m hurdles at the Prefontaine Classic last Sunday has again focussed the spotlight on this event which gave Jamaica's women their first Olympic gold medal in 1996.
Walker, a former St. Jago High student, has speed and is a very good hurdler. In addition, she is now being prepared by Stephen Francis, coach of world 100m record holder Powell, at the MVP track club. Only seven athletes broke the 54 seconds barrier in the event last year and Walker is a real medal prospect for the World Championships.
Note: Article written before yesterday's Bislett Games.
