Athletics fans will be in for a treat as the Digicel Grand Prix Finals and the G C Foster Classic merge to provide the ultimate excitement as Calabar High and Edwin Allen High girls defend their titles, while a host of senior elite stars will join the action starting at 9:00 am.

Olympic champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (100m), and Elaine Thompson (400m), as well as Asafa Powell (400m) and Julian Forte (400m) are some of the senior athletes in action but most focus will be on the high schools in their hunt for that $1-million Digicel Grand Prix bounty.

While Edwin Allen girls are favoured to retain their title, Calabar look set to be dethroned by Kingston College (KC) based on the numbers each school has in the 10 Grand Prix events.

The Grand Prix events are the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 400m hurdles, discus, high jump, long jump, medley relay and the 4x400m relay for the boys’ Class One and Class Two and under. For the girls’ it will be classes one and two together and classes three and four together.

Last year Edwin Allen amassed 144 points and defeated Holmwood Technical High by 31 points. Hydel High were third with 82.5 points. Today, the Central champions Edwin Allen will have 18 athletes in the finals compared to 19 by Hydel High, which could make things interesting. St Jago will have 13 while Holmwood Technical will have 12 athletes.

Last year Calabar High garnered 146 points and were well clear of St Jago with 74 points. KC were third on 54.5 points with Jamaica College (JC) fourth with 42 points.

But Calabar High, based on finishing second at Corporate Area Championships, have qualified 18 athletes to the finals and will be hard pressed to hold off KC, who will have 25 athletes competing. JC have 17 athletes and will make their presence felt.

The boys’ Class One 100m should be interesting with Calabar’s Michael Stephens looking for revenge after he was beaten by JC’s Michali Everett at the Corporate Area Championships. Stephens then won the 4x100m relay and pronounced that “man a man and boy a boy”. The stage is set.

The Class Two and under 100m could be one of the clashes of the meet between KC’s Terrique Stennett and the inform Vashaun Vascianna of St Jago, who has improved leaps and bounds.

While Calabar’s Chris Taylor is expected to toy with his opponents and win the 400m, the 200m should be hot with the likes of Rajay Morris of Clarendon College, JC’s Ryiem Robertson, KC’s Jevaughn Powell and Oblique Seville of Calabar High.

Calabar’s Kimar Farquharson and Rivaldo Marshall match strides with JC’s Dugion Blackman and Rushane Fullerton along with Tyrese Reid of Spot Valley High.

The Class One high jump will see a renewed battled between KC’s Louis Gordon and Kadane Ropper against Calabar’s Ricardo Clark and Andrew Betton. But they will have to contend with Romaine Beckford of Buff Bay High.

On the girls’ side, eyes will be on Edwin Allen’s Kevona Davis in the 200m where she will line up against Ashanti Moore of Hydel High, St Jago’s Joanne Reid and Daszay Freeman of The Queen’s School. Tia Clayton of Edwin Allen should win the Class Three and Four 100m while an interesting battle will be in the 200m between her sister Tina Clayton and St Jago’s Brianna Lyston.

Another intriguing match-up will be the 800m between Shauna Foote of Petersfield High and Charokee Young of Hydel High along with Kimone Campbell of Spalding High.