National sprinter Tia Clayton is hoping to secure a place in the women’s 100m event at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, next month via a wild card if she can win the event at the Wanda Diamond League final in Zurich, Switzerland today.

In addition to the attractive prizes ranging between US$60,000 ($9.5 million) and US$100,000 (roughly $16 million), wild cards will be at stake and Clayton, who got injured during the 100m final at the National Championships (Trials) in late June will be hoping for an 11th hour redemption.

Nine Jamaicans who are expected to be on Jamaica’s team, including Ackeem Blake, the defending Diamond League men’s 100m champion, are scheduled to compete today.

Men’s long jump national champion Carey McLeod was fifth yesterday, day one, jumping 8.07m (0.5m/s). Five field events were decided then.

In June, Clayton looked well set for a top-three place in the final and a spot on the team to Tokyo as she led the semi-finals with a personal best time of 10.86 seconds.

However, she pulled up injured and her twin sister, Tina, won, with Shericka Jackson, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finishing second and third, respectively.

Today, Tia must win or at least finish only behind American athletes to claim the wild card but faces a dangerous Julien Alfred who is coming off a five week break due to injuries. She also faces Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, who has run a series of impressive 100m races in August, topped by a season’s best 10.87 seconds in Poland two weeks ago.

Before her injury, Alfred, the Olympic Games 100m champion, ran 10.75 seconds, the second best time in the world so far this year.

If Clayton is able to get the wild card it could set off a series of moves, as if defending champion Shericka Jackson opts to accept her wild card for the 200m, Jodean Williams, who was fourth at Trials and has the qualifying time for the event, could be added, taking Jamaica’s total in the event to four.

Jamaica could also have four men in the men’s 100m as if Blake gets the wild card by win or finishing only behind Americans, it could open the door for Ryiem Forde, who was fourth at Trials.

World Athletics rules say there are two ways to get wild cards — either by being the defending champion, or winning the Diamond League.

No country can have more than one wild card in any event and Americans Noah Lyles and Sha’Carri Richardson have both claimed the byes as defending champions.

Blake faces a tough task as he will take on South Africa’s Akani Simbine and Bayanda Walaza, as well as Great Britain’s Jeremiah Azu.

A trio of Americans will make things interesting however with Christian Coleman, Trayvon Bromell and Brandon Hickling also set to line up.

Danielle Williams, the World Athletics Championships defending champion, and Ackera Nugent are down to contest the 100m hurdles where they will square off against Americans Grace Stark and Tonea Marshall, Nigeria’s world record holder Tobi Amusan, and the in-form Nadine Visser of the Netherlands.

Orlando Bennett is the only Jamaican in the 110m hurdles race where world leader Cordell Tinch of the USA will start favourite and will be joined by his compatriot Trey Cunningham, and Japan’s Rashid Muratake.

Andrenette Knight will contest the women’s 400m hurdles where she goes up against world number one Femke Bol of the Netherlands, Gianna Woodruff of Panama, Emma Zapletalova of Slovakia, and Naomi Van Den Broeck of Belgium.

In the field, the consistent Shanieka Ricketts takes on the Cubans, Leyanis Perez Hernandez and Liadagamis Povea, as well as Olympic Games gold medallist Thea Lafond of Dominica.

Jordan Scott, who is having his best season as a professional, will be confident going into the final on the back of three straight Diamond League wins in the men’s triple jump final.

He will however face one of the best ever in Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo, Burkino Faso’s Hugues Febrice Zango, and Yasser Triki of Algeria.

Romaine Beckford will contest the men’s high jump against New Zealand’s Hamish Kerr, Oleh Doroschchuk of Ukraine, and American JuVaughn Harrison.

Jamaica’s Tia Clayton (right) crosses the finish line to win the women’s 100m final during the Wanda Diamond League competition at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on May 16. (Photo: AFP)