Jamaica’s IAAF Diamond League leaders Elaine Thompson and Janeive Russell lead five other Jamaicans into action at the Rome Golden Gala meet today.

The other Jamaicans in action are Fedrick Dacres in the discus at 10:45 am; Kimberly Williams and Shanieka Thomas in the triple jump at 11:50am; Rusheen McDonald in the 400m at 1:35 pm; Russell and Kaliese Spencer in the 400m hurdles at 1:04 pm and Thompson in the 100m at 2:25 pm.

Thompson, who won at the Rabat Diamond League and American Tori Bowie, who won at Doha, are joint leaders with 10 points.

However, Bowie won’t be in today’s line-up, which gives Thompson the chance to gain sole leadership after the completion of three of the seven Diamond League races.

Thompson, who has a season’s best of 11.02 seconds, will come face to face with the impressive American

English Gardner, who won the 100m at the Diamond League meeting in Eugene on Saturday in 10.81 seconds. Gardner’s time is the second-fastest time of the year behind her compatriot Bowie’s world-leading 10.80 seconds set in Doha.

Thompson, who sped to a wind-aided 10.71 seconds in Kingston, will also be up against Barbara Pierre who defeated her to snatch gold in the 60m at the World Indoor Championship in March.

Thompson, who has the 10th fastest time this year, will want to send a strong message that she is ready and raring to go, especially after her coach announced she will be doubling up with the 200m at the Jamaican Trials later this month.

Meanwhile, Jamaica’s 2012 World Junior 400m hurdles champion, Russell, leads the Diamond League with 10 points, the same as Eilidh Doyle of Great Britain. Both are back in action and will face American world leader Georganne Moline, who has a best time of 53.97 seconds. She is the only person to slip below the 54-second barrier.

Russell, who announced herself to the world at the senior level with her personal best of 54.16 seconds, will be up against fellow Jamaican Spencer in what could be a clear indication of the changing of the guard as Jamaica’s number one 400m hurdler.

Russell will be in lane seven, while Spencer is drawn in lane three, just behind Moline in lane four. The powerful field will be completed by Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain, the World Indoor 400m champion with a seasonal best of 54.87 seconds and American Cassandra Tate, who has a personal best of 54.01 seconds.

Jamaica will be represented by two women in the triple jump event as Williams and Thomas do battle with Colombia’s 2013 and 2015 World triple jump champion Caterine Ibarguen and the emerging Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela, the World Indoor champion.

Williams, Jamaica’s World Indoor bronze medallist and the 2014 outdoor Commonwealth Games champion, will be making her seasonal debut. She has a personal best of 14.62m and it is left to be seen what kind of shape she is in.

Thomas, who has a season’s best of 14.57, which is her personal best achieved in April in Kingston, was eighth in her last Diamond league outing and will be looking to improve on that performance.

Both Jamaicans will have their hands full against Ibarguen who has a winning streak of 33 and a seasonal best of 15.04m and the talented Rojas with a personal best of 14.79 achieved this season.

Ukraine’s three-time European champion Olha Saladukha and the last woman to defeat the Ibarguen, Olympic champion Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan are also in the line-up.

Two Jamaican men will be in action as Dacres mix it up with the world finest in the shot put and National 400m record holder, Rusheen McDonald, tries to put his woeful form behind with an encouraging display.

Dacres will be up against the likes of Piotr Malachowski of Poland who leads the Diamond League with 20 points and Germany’s Robert Harting, looking to regain his form.

McDonald, who has a personal best of 43.93 seconds and a seasonal best of 45.90, will line up against World champion Wayde van Nierkerk of South Africa, Isaac Makwala of Botwana, Qatar’s Haroun Abdalleleh, Kevin Borlee of Belgium, Bralon Taplin of Grenada, and Vernon Norwood of the USA.

— Howard Walker