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STARS ON SHOW AT JAMAICA INTERNATIONAL INVITATIONAL – May 7, 2005

Many of the World's top track and field stars will match strides at the second staging of the Jamaica International Invitational at the National Stadium on May 7, under the theme “Athens Revisited”.

 The Meet will feature fifty (50) Olympian, including twenty (20) 2004 Olympic Medal winners and twelve (12) Olympic finalists. The competition will feature Jamaica's Olympic 200m champion Veronica Campbell, Olympic 400m silver medallist Danny McFarlane, the Golden Girls who gave Jamaica gold in the sprint relay, and world number one 100m sprinter Asafa Powell. Campbell, number one in the 200 metres, will be on show against American Lauryn Williams, the 2004 Olympic 100m silver medallist and 2003 Pan American champion, along with Aleen Bailey, Sherone Simpson, Tayna Lawrence, and Muna Lee.

Bailey has reached the final of the 100 metres in the last two major championships - the 2003 World Championships in Paris, France, and the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Lawrence, the 2000 Olympic bronze medallist in the 100m, hopes to return with a bang as she is one of only five Jamaicans to have run under 11 seconds.

The men's sprint field will also include Americans Coby Miller, a member of the Olympic 4x100m silver medallist team, and Darvis Patton, defending 100 metre champion at the Jamaica Invitational.

Jamaica's Dwight Thomas and Great Britain's Mark Lewis-Francis, anchor man of the Olympic 4x100m gold medal winning team, will also run in the men's sprints.

Jamaica's Usain Bolt, the World Junior record holder, who made his return to the track after a long absence, three weeks ago and who ran 20.51, will run in front of home fans at the Jamaica Invitational. Campbell and Powell apart, other superstars decorating the invitational include Kenyan Bernard Lagat (1500m), and Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez (400m hurdles).

The 30 year-old Lagat was a silver medallist at last year's Olympic Games and at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada. Since 1999, Lagat has consistently been one of the three fastest 1500 metres runners in the world - troubled mainly by world record holder and reigning Olympic and World Champion, Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco.

Though king of the 400m hurdles, Sanchez will run the 400 metres for speed work facing Brandon Simpson, Davian Clarke, Michael Blackwood and Jermaine Gonzales. They will be joined by American Derrick Brew, the Olympic bronze medallist, and a key member of USA's 4x400m gold medal relay teams since 2001.

In the women's equivalent, four members of Jamaica's 4x400m relay team will also take part. Novlene Williams, Michelle Burgher, Nadia Davy and Sandie Richards will go up against Jamaican-born American Sanya Richards, sixth at the Olympic Games last year, and her American team-mate Monique Hennagan, fourth at the same Olympic Games.

However, Jamaica's Lorraine Fenton is also expected to make her return to the track after a long injury. Fenton, silver medallist at both the Olympic Games (2000) and the World Championships (2001 and 2003), has been national champion in the 400 metres for five consecutive years (1999-2003). She could not defend her title last year because of injury.

Perhaps the most attractive race is the women’s sprint hurdles, featuring Olympic champion American Joanna Hayes and Canada's Perdita Felicien, the 2003 World Champion. They will face Jamaica's most outstanding sprint hurdlers, Brigitte Foster, the 2003 World Championships silver medallist; Lacena Golding-Clarke, the 2002 Commonwealth Games champion and Athens 100m hurdles finalist; Delloreen Ennis-London, fourth at the 2000 Olympic Games; and Michelle Freeman, the 1997 World Championship bronze medalist.

Some of the Stars
Men                                                                          Women

Asafa Powell (JA) – 100m                                Veronica Campbell (JA)
 
Coby Williams (USA) - 100m                            Lauryn Williams (USA)

Mark Lewis-Francis (Great Britain) - 100m         Aleen Bailey (JA)

Dwight Thomas (JA) – 100m                            Sherone Simpson (JA)

Davis Patton (USA) – 100m                              Tayna Lawrence (JA)

Usain Bolt (JA) – 200m                                     Muna Lee (USA)

Derrick Brew (USA) – 400m                              Monique Hennagan (USA)
 
Brandon Simpson (JA) – 400m                          Sanya Richards (USA)

Davian Clarke (JA) – 400m                               Lorraine Fenton (JA)

Michael Blackwood (JA) – 400m                         Perdita Felicien (Canada)

Felix Sanchez (DR) – 400m                               Brigitte Foster (JA)

Danny McFarlane (JA) – 400m                           Lascena Golding-Clarke (JA)
 
Bernard Lagat (Kenya) – 1500m                        Deloreen Ennis-London (JA)

James Beckford (JA) – Long Jump      Joanna Hayes (USA) – Olympic Champion Medallist

Savante Stringfellow (USA) – Long Jump

Matt Hemmingway (USA) – High Jump (Athens Silver Medallist)

Mark Boswell (Canada) – World Championships Bronze Medallist

Other Information

1. Duration of Meet - 7:00 p.m. to 9:35 p.m.

2. Athletes Accommodation - Hilton, Kingston Jamaica (one of the sponsors)

3. Accreditation - Hilton, Kingston Jamaica (876-926-5430 – 7)

4. Ticket Sales - Hilton, Kingston Jamaica, Sports Development Foundation, York Pharmacy, The National Stadium (From Wednesday, May 4 – Saturday, May 7, 2005 9 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.)

5. Ticket Prices - Grand Stand - Finish Line J$2,500 US$41 (approx.) Grand Stand - other Seats J$1500 US$24 (approx.) Grand Stand - limited seated area J$1000 US$16 (approx.) Bleachers J$500 US$8 (approx.)

DON’T MISS “ATHENS RECREATED”