SEVENTEEN athletes, eight of whom are based in the United States, will represent Jamaica at the World Masters Athletics Championships which gets underway today in Sacramento, California.

President of the Jamaica Masters Athetics Association Leo McEwan said the team “is the biggest one to attend the championships which is held every two years”.

McEwan, who is in Sacramento, will manage the 12 male and five female athletes hoping to make their country proud at the July 6-17 meet.

A notable member of Jamaica’s masters team, for athletes aged 35 and over, is Olympian Lynsworth (Lynn) Headley, who will participate in the men’s 65-69 100m.

Son of West Indies all-time cricket George Headley, Lynn was a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay quartet at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

He, along with the late Pablo McNeil, Patrick Robinson and Dennis Johnson, clocked 39.49 seconds for fourth in the final, won by the USA in a world-record 39.06.

Top long-distance runner Michael Feurtado, a standout while at St Jago High, will take part in the men’s 50-54 10,000m.