Two-time Olympic double sprint champion Elaine Thompson-Herah is among a quartet of Jamaicans in the women’s 100m at Tuesday’s Gyulai István Memorial at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, with Olympic Games champion Julien Alfred also set to compete in the race.

Over 20 top Jamaicans, including a number of national champions, will compete in the final Gold level meet of the season.

Thompson-Herah is coming off a season best 10.91 seconds run in Croatia and will be accompanied by World Championships medalist Tina Clayton, who goes into the race with the best time- 10.85 seconds; Jonielle Smith, who ran a lifetime best 10.89 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic; and Brianna Lyston.

Alfred ran a mouthwatering 21.51 seconds in the 200m last weekend at the Monaco Diamond League meet, the third-fastest time ever by a woman over the distance. Despite only running the 100m twice this season, she enters Tuesday’s event as arguably the favourite.

Three Jamaican men, Ackeem Blake, Nishion Ebanks and Rohan Watson are down to contest the men’s 100m where they will face American Sam Blaskowski, Akani Simbine of South Africa and Emmanuel Eseme of Cameroon.

Newly-crowned men’s national junior record holder Gary Card headlines the Jamaican men in the 200m, which also includes Michael Campbell and Dominic Williams. They will face off against Makanakaishe Charamba of Zimbabwe, Mason Lawyer of the USA and Aaron Brown of Canada.

Jamaican women’s 400m record holder Nickisha Pryce will contest the women’s 200m on Tuesday where she will be joined by Krystal Sloley as they take on American Gabby Thomas who is coming off a loss to Alfred last weekend, Kayla White and Anavia Battle.

Navasky Anderson will contest the men’s 800m where he faces a quality field that includes Gabriel Tual of France, David Barroso of Spain and Kethobogile Haingura of Botswana, all of who have gone under 1:44.00 this season.

Kerrica Hill faces a tough field in the 100m hurdles where she goes up against world leader Masai Russell of the USA who has not lost over the barriers all season. Americans Alaysha Johnson and Rayniah Jones, as well as Nadine Visser of the Netherlands and Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France will add to the quality of the field.

On time, Rushell Clayton will start favourite to win the women’s 400m hurdles where she will compete against compatriot Shiann Salmon as well as Kemi Adekoya of Bahrain and American Jasmine Jones.

World number three ranked Rajindra Campbell who was second in the men’s shot put at a meet in Memphis, Tennessee on Friday, takes on world leader Leonardo Fabbri of Italy as well as Payton Otterdahl of the USA and Tom Walsh of New Zealand.

Wayne Pinnock, who had a season’s best 8.39m last week to leap up to number five in the world, will be going after a win in the men’s long jump where he will be one of three Jamaicans, including Tajay Gayle and Nikaoli Williams.

World leader Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece will be the pre-event favourite while Anvar Anvarov of Uzbekistan and Lester Lacay of Spain are also expected to compete.

Lamara Distin is down for the women’s high jump where she faces two very good Australians, Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers, along with Marija Vuković of Montenegro.

National champion Ackelia Smith will contest the women’s long jump and will face American Monae Nichols, Delta Amidzovski of Australia and Ramona Elena Verman of Romania.
-Paul A Reid