The three-day Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) trial to select the Jamaica team for the 49th Carifta Games will get underway this afternoon at the National Stadium with fireworks expected from the first event.

The preliminary rounds of the 100m and 400m in all four sections — Under 17 and Under-20 for male and female — will be run this afternoon when the event starts behind closed doors at 4:30 pm. Eight field event finals are also scheduled to be contested.

The junior track and field season has simmered since it started in January but could reach boiling point this weekend, the first of several major track and field events on the calendar. It will be seen as a preview for the GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships set for just under a month’s time.

Jamaica will defend their Carifta Games title at the championships that will be staged in Jamaica over the Easter weekend, having topped the medals tables at the three-day championships for the last 34 years (between 1985 and 2019).

With most members of the team that won 11 medals at last year’s World Athletics Under-20 championships — led by women’s 100m champion Tina Clayton and the gold medal-winning women’s 4x100m relay team — available the three-day meet is expected to see high-quality track and field action.

Places in both the women’s and men’s 100m final set for Saturday will be at a premium with fields stacked with speed and quality.

Despite being ranked only at number eight among Jamaican Under-20 girls in the 100m, Edwin Allen’s Clayton will lead the list, but her twin sister Tia, Hydel High’s Kerrica Hill, Western Champs Class 1 winner Alexis James of Petersfield and St Jago’s Shenese Walker, will all have their eyes on the top prize.

The boys’ final is expected to be closely contested with Edwin Allen’s Bryan Levell and Kingston College’s Bouwahjgie Nkrumie, both of whom have gone under 10.50 seconds already this season, Herbert Morrison’s fit-again Deandre Daley and Sandrey Davison of St Catherine High are expected to be the pacesetters going into the final Saturday evening.

Abigail Wolfe of Holy Childhood High leads the Under-17 girls’ section but is expected to get competition from Edwin Allen’s Theinna-Lee Terrelonge, Shemonique Hazel of Hydel High and Natrece East of Wolmer’s Girls.

Wolmer’s Boys’ Gary Card goes into the Under-17 event with the fastest time so far of 10.56s. Shaquane Gordon of Calabar High, Rickoy Hunter of St Elizabeth Technical, and Jamaican College’s Dontae Watson are also expected to feature.

Camperdown High’s Roshawn Clarke will lead the Under-20 boys’ 400m field that will see the impressive Malachi Johnson of Excelsior High, Shaemar Uter of Kingston College and St Andrew Technical’s Chevoney Reid.

Hydel’s Oneika McAnnuff, Clarendon College’s Dejanea Oakley and Vere Technical’s Kaylia Kelly will be the top-ranked athletes in the women’s Under-20 400m.

The field events, highlighted by the Under-20 boys’ long jump and shot put, will generate lots of excitement as well.

World Under-20 medallist Jaydon Hibbert will start as the favourite to win the long jump with two big jumps — both illegal under World Athletics rules, a wind-aided 7.80m (2.4m/s) — at the Corporate Sara championships last week, and a 7.49m effort at GC Foster in mid-February but there were no wind gauge.

Petersfield High’s Western Champs winner Royan Walters, Jevaughn Cephas of Kingston College and Cornwall College’s Lansford Cunningham are also expected to get into the final.

Talented Edwin Allen thrower Christopher Young will clash with Calabar High’s Kobe Lawrence in what should be one of the top contests today and maybe the entire weekend.

Both throwers have been doing well this season and along with Denz Simmonds, also of Calabar, and Kingston College’s Altwayne Bedward, the shot put event today could be one of the best competitions.