After
withdrawing from the JAAA/Puma/Fuller/Anderson development meet two weeks ago due to illness, reigning World Championships 200m champion Shericka Jackson is set to make her debut this afternoon at the Queen’s/Grace Jackson Meet at the National Stadium.

Jackson, the fastest woman alive over 200 metres, with a time of 21.41 seconds, is scheduled to compete in the 60m event, facing her MVP teammate Tia Clayton.

Other expected participants in the event include Serena Cole from MVP and Sprint Tech’s Shashalee Forbes, along with Briana Williams, Sada Williams, Jodean Williams, and Jura Levy. The event is scheduled to start at 6:00 pm.

Jackson has personal best time of 7.04 in the event, which she achieved in 2022, her first year competing over that distance.

In February 2023 she ran a season’s best time of 7.18 in Birmingham, England. That was the same year that Jackson went on to win the gold and silver in the women’s 200m and 100m, respectively, at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Ackeem Blake, a bronze medallist in the World Championships 4x100m relay from the Michael Frater-led Dynamic Athletics Track Club, is to contest the men’s 60m event.

Set to join him in the event are Tajay Gayle, Earl Simmons, Roshawn Clarke, Ramone Barnswell, Michael Campbell, Bryan Levell, Tyquendo Tracey, and Emmanuel Archibald.

Candice McLeod, a silver medallist in the World Championships 4x400m relay, is scheduled to participate in the women’s 200m, alongside Akrisa Eristee, Trishauna Matthews, Annalice Brady, Normalee Whyte, and Alexia Beckford.

The men’s discus throw event will be led by many-time national champion Fedrick Dacres, with Chad Wright and Travis Smikle as the other competitors. Christoff Bryan and Raymond Richards are both set to compete in the men’s high jump competition.

The events scheduled to be contested at the meet include 200m, 400m, 800m, and 4x400m as well as long jump, triple jump, high jump, discus, and shot put throws.

Meanwhile, today also marks the St Elizabeth Technical (STETHS) Invitational in Santa Cruz, where schools such as Hydel High, Holmwood Technical, St Jago, Edwin Allen, Immaculate, Kingston College, Calabar High, and Jamaica College are expected to compete.

— Robert Bailey