Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce wins in Kingston (© AFP / Getty Images)
Organisers of the Jamaica International Invitational have confirmed that world 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and world 200m silver medallist Elaine Thompson will compete at the IAAF World Challenge meeting on 7 May.
Going back to her first appearance in 2007, Fraser-Pryce has regularly competed at the Kingston meeting, winning the 200m there in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
Thompson, meanwhile, first made a name for herself at last year’s meeting. A relative unknown going into the race, Thompson came away with victory in 10.92, a PB she went on to improve to 10.84 later that year before taking silver over 200m at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 in a PB of 21.66.
Fellow Jamaican sprinters Rusheen McDonald and Rasheed Dwyer will also be competing in Kingston. In the 400m heats at last year’s World Championships, McDonald broke the Jamaican record with a surprise 43.93 clocking. Dwyer is the Commonwealth 200m champion and improved his best to 19.80 last year.
US sprinters Mike Rodgers and Candyce McGrone have also signed up to the meeting. Rodgers is the 2010 world indoor silver medallist and finished fifth in the 100m at last year’s World Championships. McGrone finished just 0.04 shy of a medal in Beijing when she clocked a PB of 22.01 to finish fourth in the 200m.
