Grace Jackson/Queen's Invitational track and field Meet

The first competitive meet on the new track and several of the country's top athletes, including Olympic champions Shelly-Ann Fraser and Melaine Walker from the powerful MVP Track Club, will be making their seasonal debut this Saturday, january 29, 2011.


A lot of attention will be focused on the Usain Bolt Track - at the University of West Indies (UWI) - where the Grace Jackson/Queen's Invitational track and field meet will take place.


The heats of the high school girls' Class Four 200 metres will get the meet under way at 8:30 a.m.

After having her season cut short last year due to a six-month suspension for using a non-performance-enhancing drug, Oxycodone, it will be a welcome return to competition for Olympic and World Championships 100 metres gold medallist Fraser, who will lead a strong cadre of athletes from the Stephen Francis-coached MVP Club.

Fraser will face the starter in the women's 400 metres, competing against Olympic joint 100 metres silver medallist Sherone Simpson.

Other female members from the club, led by Walker, will compete in the 800 metres, where she will be joined by 400 metres World Championships silver medallist Shericka Williams, along with Kaliese Spencer and Jonique Day.

Female athletes from the prominent Racers Track Club will also be well represented, as Schillone Calvert will take the fight to the MVP athletes in the 400 metres with her teammates Sonita Sutherland and Davita Prendegast.
The newest member of their club, Shereefa Lloyd, is down to compete in the 800 metres.

Both clubs will also be well represented in the men's category, with former 100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell, from MVP, being the highest-profile athlete.

Over the years, Powell has used this meet to open his campaign and once again he will line up in the 400 metres where his teammate Michael Frater, will also compete.

Fireworks

Antiguan Daniel Bailey will line up for Racers in the 400 metres, while former MVP member Markino Buckley, who now competes for Racers, is scheduled to run in the 800 metres.

While the senior athletes are expected to steal the spotlight, a lot of fireworks are expected from high school athletes, where the top male teams in Wolmer's Boys, Kingston College, Calabar, Jamaica College and St Jago High are down to compete.

Although they will be competing in different events, a lot of eyes will be on Wolmer's Boys' Odean Skeen and Bridgeport High's Jahzeel Murphy.

Touted as the country's most talented junior male athletes, Skeen, the World Youth Olympic 100 metres champion, will run in the 400 metres, while the talented Murphy is expected to set the place on fire in the 200 metres.