Ashmeade, Carter join Oregon Diamond League line-up
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Three more Jamaicans have been confirmed for the Oregon Diamond League meet this weekend.
Diamond League winner in the 200m last year, Nickel Ashmeade will face tough competition when he squares off against American Walter Dix, who holds the meeting record with 19.72 seconds, set three years ago.
Ashmeade, who ran a world-leading 20.00 seconds at the Jamaica International Invitational earlier this month, will be joined in the event by countryman, Jason Young.
Both Ashmeade and Young failed to make the Olympic squad in the event, but ran sub-20 seconds races last year.
Young is the fourth fastest man in the event this season with a 20.22 seconds run at the Shanghai Diamond League meet two weeks ago.
Three other Americans, Maurice Mitchell, Jeremy Dodson and Calesio Newman will also compete. The field is completed by Churandy Martina of The Netherlands and Norway’s Jaysuma Saidy.
World indoor silver medallist Nesta Carter, the third Jamaican addition, will compete in the men’s 100m, against American Olympic bronze medallist Justin Gatlin.
Carter, who has a season’s best of 9.99 seconds, will have his work cut as Gatlin has gone as fast as 9.91 seconds. With two-sub 10 seconds clocking and impressive form, Gatlin is expected to continue the American’s early season dominance in the absence of Jamaica’s big names.
Six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt, World 100m champion Yohan Blake and former world-record holder Asafa Powell are all recovering from recent injuries.
