From left, McKenzie, Blake McDermott and Russell.

Anthony Foster, Freelance Reporter

All eyes will be on the boys' Under-20 sprints at this weekend's Carifta Games Trials, which start today and end tomorrow at the Stadium East complex.

The weekend's event will also be used by coaches as a dress rehearsal for Boys' and Girls' Champs, which is less than two weeks away.

Yohan Blake, the World Junior 100m bronze medallist and World Youth champions over 100m and 200m, Dexter Lee and Ramone McKenzie, respectively, will clash in the sprints.

No doubt in Blake

There is no doubt that Blake, the national junior 100m record holder at 11.11 seconds, will be very hard to beat, but younger sprinters Lee and McKenzie, who won the 100m and 200m at the World Youth Championships in Ostrava last year, have something to prove.

Nickel Ashmeade, who won silver in the boys' 100m and bronze in the 200m in Ostrava, will also be a force to reckon with in the sprints.

Over the years, most of the top athletes, though entered for two or more events, have only settled for one. And with only the top two athletes from each event guaranteed a place on the team, a few big names will be left behind.

Thus, this quartet is still in with a chance of qualifying, but only if Blake and Lee settle for the 100m and leave McKenzie and Ashmeade to battle in the 200m. This quartet could also threaten Jamaica's national junior record - 39.05 - especially on the brand new St Kitts running track.

Calabar's Earl Lee should heat up the Under-17 sprints, along with his teammate, Jermaine Leslie, while Petra Fanty, Sashene Gayle and Shericka Moulton of Holmwood, along with Natasha Morrison of Glengoffe, should provide a keen contest.

The toughest contest is expected in the girls' Under-20 400m where World Youth silver medallist Latoya McDermott of St Andrew High, Kayon Robinson of Vere and Manchester High's Shana-Gaye Tracey will line up for an interesting battle. University of Technology (UTech) sprinter Alecia Cutanar will also add to the competitive field and with only two to be selected, this should be hot.

Great chances

Samantha Woodburn of Holmwood should fancy her chances in the Under-17 400m event.

In the girls' Under-20 short sprints, World Junior 100m bronze medallist Carie Russell of St Thomas Technical, Gayon Evans of Edwin Allen, Danielle Jeffrey of Immaculate, Antonique Campbell of Herbert Morrison and Jura Levy of Vere, are all entering this class for the first time. But they will have to deal with big girls, to be led by UTech's pair of Francine Simpson and Cutanar, who are both dangerous and will be very strong contenders for places in the 100m.

In the girls' 400m hurdles, Shana-Gaye Tracey of Man-chester High, Holmwood's Andrea Reid, and Judith Riley, who is out of school, should fight for top honours.

In the girls' Under-20 100m hurdles, Alpha's Rosemarie Carty and the Wolmer's pair of Jahnelle Gordon and Keisha Wallace are the ones expected to be in the mix.

Alpha's Khadeen Isaacs will challenge Immaculate's Meisha-Gaye DaCosta in the girls' Under-20 high jump, while the latter will face-off with Yushani Durant of UTech and Ann-Marie Duffus of Edwin Allen in the Under-20 long jump.

Campion's Theon Occonor and Donahue Williams of Kingston College will lead the boys' Under-20 800m, while Jamaica College's Warqar DaCosta is the top man in the Under-17 event. Mackola Joseph and Marvia Lewin of Edwin Allen should add to the girls' event.

In the sprint hurdles, KC's Keiron Stewart is the big man, but Calabar's Warren Weir remains a threat.