The NACAC Senior Championships will get under way today at the National Stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica, and several Jamaican athletes will have a final chance of qualifying for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, later this month.

The NACAC championships will run through to Sunday, a day before the August 19 cut off day for performances to be counted towards qualification for the World Championships.

Thirty-nine athletes will represent Jamaica — 20 men and 19 women — as 31 countries are expected to take part in the three-day event.

Nineteen Jamaicans are expected to participate on today’s opening day with two taking part in straight finals.

Canniggia Raynor will take part in the men’s discus throw final, while Shanieka Thomas is listed for the women’s triple jump final.

Meanwhile, the first rounds and semi-finals of the men’s and women’s 100m, 200m, women’s 100m hurdles, men’s 110m hurdles, as well as the men’s and women’s 400m and 800m semi-finals will be held today.

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Samantha Henry Robinson and Shimayra Williams will contest the first round of the women’s 100m in the morning session, while Jason Livermore and Sheldon Mitchell will line up in the men’s event, hoping to make it to the semi-finals scheduled for the afternoon session.

Rasheed Dwyer, the second-fastest man in the world this year in the 200m, and World Championships semi-finalist Mario Forsythe will contest the opening round of the men’s 200m set for early in the afternoon session, while Kerron Stewart is the only Jamaican entrant in the women’s event.

Samantha Elliott, who will run both hurdles events, will line up in the first round of the women’s 100m hurdles, while World Junior Championships silver medallist Tyler Mason and Duece Carter are in the men’s 110m hurdles first round.

Ricardo Chambers and Javere Bell will contest the men’s 400m event, while Bobby Gaye Wilkins-Gooden and Sonikqua Walker are entered in the women’s event.

Ricardo Cunningham will contest the semi-final of the men’s 800m, while Kimarra McDonald and Samantha James will run in the women’s event.