Jamaican women take aim at ATHLOS London

Jamaica’s women will get one more opportunity to make their mark on the international track scene when the inaugural ATHLOS London meeting brings together some of the biggest names in women’s athletics at StoneX Stadium today.

With only six athletes in each event, there will be little room for error as the Jamaicans take on some of the world’s best in what promises to be a high-quality end-of-season showdown.

Jamaica will be represented in three of the seven events.

Tina Clayton will contest the 100 metres, Danielle Williams and Megan Simmonds will line up in the 100m hurdles, and Nickisha Pryce and Stacey-Ann Williams will compete in the 400m.

Strong form

Clayton brings strong form into the meet after securing the Diamond League title. She will face a quality field headed by American star Sha’Carri Richardson. British sprinters Daryll Neita and Imani Lansiquot, along with New Zealand’s Zoe Hobbs, add further depth to the line-up.

Clayton’s presence is particularly significant following her impressive season and her role in Jamaica’s sprint resurgence. The clash with Richardson also presents another opportunity for the Jamaican to test herself against one of the event’s leading names.

The 100m hurdles promises to be another major attraction, with Williams and Simmonds carrying Jamaica’s hopes.

They will come up against Nigerian world-record holder Tobi Amusan and Bahamian star Devynne Charlton.

Jamaica’s representation continues in the 400m, where Pryce and Stacey-Ann Williams will line up against a formidable field headed by Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic.

Pryce enters the race after finishing third behind Paulino at the World Ultimate Championships in Budapest, where she clocked 49.56 seconds. Paulino won in 49.07 and has already indicated that she will be chasing another sub-49-second performance in London.

Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, Norway’s Henriette Jæger, and Poland’s Natalia Bukowiecka will also be in the field.

The unique format should add to the intensity. Only six athletes compete in each event, with the winner collecting US$65,000, while second place is worth US$35,000, and third earns US$20,000.

The meeting, which features the 100m hurdles, 100m, long jump, mile, 400m, 800m, and 200m, is the first ATHLOS event to be staged outside the United States.