DESPITE the absence of double World Record holder Usain Bolt, IAAF World Championships 100m gold medallist Yohan Blake and Olympic and World Championships gold medallist Melaine Walker, today’s 10th staging of the Jamaica International Invitational (JII) track meet at the National Stadium is expected to produce a number of outstanding performances.

The meet, which is part of the IAAF World Challenge series, is set to get under way at 6:05 pm with the women’s triple jump and women’s discus throw — the latter is one of two new events added to the schedule.

Organisers will be hoping that yesterday’s rain will not affect the meet.

Nineteen events are on the schedule, but the sprints, particularly among the women, could excite what is expected to be another large crowd. The official list was not available at press time as Donald Quarrie said it would have to be sent to the IAAF first, and might not be released until late last night.

Four world-leading performances were recorded at last year’s meet and athlete liaison Quarrie told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that expectations were for exciting races today as well.

“I don’t want to stick my neck out and pick any one race,” he said, “but the men’s and women’s sprints should be good, as well as both 400m races.” He stated earlier that more than 20 finalists from the Olympic Games were scheduled to take part.

‘Friendly rivals’ Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell Brown and American Allyson Felix, the Olympic Games 200m champion, will meet over the 100m for only the seventh time in their career on what is expected to be one of the marquee billings of the afternoon.

Campbell Brown edged the longlegged American in their most recent meeting in the 100m, at last year’s London Olympic Games, for the bronze and has a six-to-one edge there.

Both women have sought to downplay the early season meeting, saying it will be used to measure their progress so far, but had admitted during an IAAF-organised teleconference two weeks ago that they always tend to lift their games when they meet head-to-head.

With American Carmelita Jeter, the winner of the last three 100m races here and record holder at 10.81 seconds not competing, Olympic relay medallist Sherone Simpson and Trinidad’s Kelly-Ann Baptiste will also take part.

American National Record holder Tyson Gay will replace Blake in the 100m, and according to Quarrie, Gay says he is in shape to run 9.80 seconds.

Gay, who was fourth in London last year, will be contesting the 100m for the first time in Jamaica after running the 200m and 400m races previously. He will get competition from Jamaica’s Nesta Carter, a finalist in the men’s 100m in Daegu in 2011, Ryan Bailey, Darvis Patton as well as young Jamaicans Kemar Bailey-Cole and Dexter Lee, with the latter hoping to rebound from a disastrous 2012 season.

The men’s 200m should be another match-up that will attract much attention and will see Olympic bronze medallist Warren Weir facing off with the IAAF Diamond League champion Nickel Ashmeade whom he beat for the spot at last year’s National Trials.

Weir is the third-fastest Jamaican over the distance after his 19.84 seconds clocking in London last year, just one hundredth of a second faster than Ashmeade’s best of 19.85 seconds set last year as well.

Ashmeade was second last year behind Yohan Blake’s World Leading 19.91 seconds with Weir third.

American Wallace Spearmon, who was fourth in London, and Norway’s Jaysuma Said Ndure, are also down to contest the men’s 200m.

In the women’s 200m race, former champion Bianca Knight who has upset Campbell Brown here, faces the speed of Olympic silver medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce who showed she was in good early season form, leading a Jamaican team to victory in the 4x100m relay at the ‘Penns’ last weekend.

Jamaica Olympic silver medallist Kerron Stewart has also been named for the half-lap event as well.

After her brilliant opening run last year clocking 49.99, Jamaica’s Olympic finalist Novlene Williams Mills will have a strong field in the women’s 400m event.

Olympic silver medallist Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain, who has trained here on several occasions; world leader Stephanie McPherson of UTech, who has run 50.78 seconds; Olympic finalist Rosemarie Whyte and 400m hurdles specialist Kaliese Spencer will make this one of the strongest fields in the meet today.

The Dominican Republic’s 19-yearold Luguelin Santos, who won the silver medal in London last year behind Grenada’s Kirani James, is the top runner in the men’s 400m with American Calvin Smith also expected to take part.

After Andrew Riley’s big win over a strong field at the Drake Relays that included World Record holder Aries Merritt and defending champion and Olympic bronze medallist Hansle Parchment who won here last year, the men’s 110m hurdles race should be an interesting one.

Riley is off to a fast start and is also the world leader with 13.32 seconds set at the Chris Brown Invitational in Nassau, Bahamas.

In the field, Jason Morgan is in great form and will be seeking his first win on Jamaican soil in at least three years in the men’s discus throw.

Morgan, the second best thrower in the world so far this year, with his fourth best throw of 65.94m, behind three longer throws by Australian Julian Wruck, will face two-time Jamaica national champion and current National Record holder Traves Smikle and India’s Vikas Gowda, who was eighth in London.

Jamaica’s best two female triple jumper Kimberly Williams and Trecia Smith, finalists in London last year, are expected to put on another good show, and the meeting record of 14.34m could be under some pressure.