Elton Tucker, Assistant Sport Editor
Jamaica's Sherone Simpson (No. 87) runs away from countrywoman Veronica Campbell (right) to win the women's 200m at the Jamaica International Invitational meet at the National Stadium in 2006.
THE JAMAICA International Invitational (JII), now set for its fifth staging at the National Stadium tonight, has never failed to serve up world-class performances.
Four years ago a galaxy of stars descended on the National Stadium for what has now become an annual offering of sizzling track-and-field action on the first weekend in May.
The unrivalled star of year one, 2004, was the now disgraced American sprint queen Marion Jones. Jones wowed an adoring crowd of more than 17,000 with a world-leading 11.04 seconds to win the 100 metres ahead of compatriot Lauryn Williams (11.10) and local girl Sherone Simpson, 11.11.
With the crowd cheering her every move Jones returned to leap 6.73m to take the long jump.
The many-time world and Olympic gold medalist, Gail Devers, was equally impressive in her pet event. The then 37-year-old romped to victory in the 100m hurdles in 12.50, also a world-leading time.
It was an evening when Americans dominated. Labronze Garnett took the men's 400m hurdles in 48.76 ahead of Jamaica's soon to be Olympic silver medallist Danny McFarlane. Jearl Miles-Clark won the women's 400m in 51.50 and Savante Stringfellow won the men's long jump with a leap of 7.81m.
The brilliant mutola
World record holder Asafa takes time out to sign autographs after blazing 9.95 seconds to win the 100-metre event at the 2006 Jamaica International Invitational.
The American dominance was broken by the brilliant Mozambican 800m runner Maria Mutola who romped the event in 2.00.38 and Canada's Jamaican-born Mark Boswell who cleared 2.27 to take the men's high jump.
Late in the evening, Jamaica's Davian Clark drew the biggest cheers when he won the men's 400m in 45.50 from American Derrick Brew, 45.96.
In 2005, the JII field was headed by two Olympic champions, 200m gold medallist Veronica Campbell and 100m hurdles winner American Joanna Hayes but it was current world record holder Asafa Powell who grabbed the limelight with a national record 9.84 in the men's 100m.
On a night when Jamaicans really shone, Powell's MVP teammate Sherone Simpson took the women's 100m in 11.03 and Campbell streaked to victory in the 200m in 22.53.
Other popular Jamaican winners on the night were Usain Bolt (men's 200m in 20.14) and Kenia Sinclair, who crossed the line first in the women's 800m in 2:00.05.
The 2006 renewal of the JII was certainly the most thrilling. Local track club MVP showed that it was a very strong force with victories by Powell (100m), Sherone Simpson (200m) and Brigitte Foster-Hylton (100m hurdles).
Simpson's impressive win
Marion Jones ... stole the show at the first JII.
By his own standards, Powell's 9.95 in the 100m was slow but it was Simpson who brought the house down with an impressive win over Campbell in the 200m. The former Manchester High student gave a hint of what was to come on the grand prix circuit that year with a personal best, meet record run of 22.14. She streaked away from Campbell (22.51) and American Muna Lee, 22.77.
The men's 200m was even more exciting. Defending meet champion Bolt held off American Tyson Gay in a stirring stretch duel. The winning time was 20.10 to Gay's 20.12.
Sinclair repeated her victory in the 800m (2:00.02) while Foster-Hylton won the 100m hurdles in 12.69.
The United States' Lashawn Merritt (centre) wins the men's 400m in 44.95 seconds ahead of compatriot Andrew Rock (right), 45.21, and Usain Bolt, 45.25, at the Jamaica International Invitational last year. - File photos
American LaShawn Merritt powered to a fairly fast early-season 44.67 in the 400m pulling Jamaica's Jermaine Gonzales down to a then personal best 44.90 for third. Another American, Andrew Rock, was second in 44.89.
Last year's meet proved to be Campbell's first step towards gold in the 100m in the Osaka World Championships. Following an injury-plagued 2006 she returned with a bang to take the 100m in a world-leading 11.07.
Campbell's training partner, American Tyson Gay, also served notice of things to come when he blew away the 200m field to clock 19.97.
Night's shocker
Jamaica's James Beckford soars through the air on his way to winning the men's long jump at the 2005 meet.
The night's shocker came in the women's 200m. Simpson, the fastest woman in the world over both 100m and 200m in 2006, was upstaged by veteran sprinter Rachelle Smith. The American won in 22.65 to Simpson's, 22.76.
Foster-Hylton (12.71) was again victorious in the 100m hurdles beating her archrival, Canada's Perdita Felicien (12.75).
Sinclair made it three in a row in the 800m, this time registering a Stadium record 1:59.19.
Merritt was again on top in the men's 400m and with another sub-45 seconds time. He clocked 44.95 to beat his compatriot Rock (45.21). Bolt, who took his chances in the one-lap event, was third in 45.25.
With Powell out, his MVP teammate and 2003 World Championships silver medallist Darrel Brown took the men's 100m in 10.02.
TYSON GAY Events: Sprints
PRs: 100m - 9.84 (2007); 200m - 19.62 (2007)
Born: August 9, 1982, in Lexington, Kentucky.
Career highlights: 2007 World Outdoor 100m, 200m champion and 4x100m gold medalist; 2007 Visa Outdoor champion; 2007 USA Outdoor 100m and 200m champion; 2006 USA Outdoor 100m champion; 2005 World Athletics Final 200m champion; 2005 USA Outdoor Champs 200m runner-up.
In 2007, Gay established himself as the world's dominant sprinter in winning gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the World Outdoor Championships and notching a victory at the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships in the 100m (9.84 meet record) and by running the second fastest time in history in the 200m (19.62).
Gay, the 2007 IAAF Male Athlete of the Year, became the third sprint athlete in history, along with Maurice Greene and Justin Gatlin, to win both the 100m and 200m contest at a World Championship track and field competition, and joined Marita Koch, Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson, Maurice Greene and Allyson Felix, as the only athletes in history to win triple gold medals at a single World Championship.
SANYA RICHARDS
Event: 400m
PR: 400m - 48.70 AR (2006); 100m - 11.05 (2007); 200m - 22.17 (2006)
Born: February 26, 1985, in Kingston, Jamaica
Career highlights: 2007 World Outdoor 4x400m gold medalist; 3-time USA Outdoor Champion ('03, '05, '06); 2006 IAAF World Athlete of the Year and Jesse Owens Award winner; 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist; 2004 Olympic 4x400m gold medalist; 2003 World Outdoor 4x400m gold medalist; 2002 World Junior Championships 400m silver medallist.
In the spring of 2007, Richards struggled with illness, which forced her to pull out of several early meets. In just her third meet of the season, Richards ran a world-leading time of 50.02 in the semi-finals at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships, but suffered her first loss in the 400m since the 2005 World Championships, finishing fourth in the final. Richards bounced back to a runners-up finish in the 200m to qualify for the World Championships.
Richards, who broke Valerie Brisco-Hooks' US record of 48.83 with a 48.70 at the end of the 2006 season and was named IAAF 2006 Female World Athlete of the Year, is targeting her first major title this year.
WALLACE SPEARMON
Event: 200m, 100m
PR: 200m 19.65 (2006) 100m 9.96 (2007)
Born: Dec. 24, 1984, in Chicago, Illinois.
Career highlights: 2007 World Outdoor 4x100m gold medalist; 2007 World Outdoor bronze medalist; 2005 World Outdoor silver medalist; 2007 USA Outdoor runner-up; 2006 USA Outdoor champion; 2006 World Cup champion; 2005 NCAA Indoor & Outdoor 200m champion; American indoor 200m record holder; 2004 NCAA Outdoor champion
Spearmon proved his versatility in 2007 by ending the season ranked in the top 10 in the world by Track & Field News for the first time in the 100m (No. 10) and posting a personal best in that event of 9.96 seconds in Shanghai. Spearmon was superb in the 200m again in 2007, with his runner-up finish at the USA Outdoor Championships and by winning the bronze medal at the World Outdoor Championships in Osaka.
His personal best for 200m is 19.65 seconds, which is fourth fastest in the world. Only Americans Michael Johnson, (19.32), Spearmon's training partner Tyson Gay (19.62) and Xavier Carter (19.63) have run faster. Despite the fact that he normally runs a "slower" first half of his 200m races and goes on to pass people down the stretch, his 100m personal best is 9.96.
USIAN BOLT
Event: 200m, 100m
PR: 200m 19.75 (2007) 100m 10.03 (2007)
Born: Aug. 21, 1986, in Trelawny.
Career highlights: 2002 World Junior 200m champion, 4x100m gold and 2nd 4x400m; 2003 World Youth champion 200m, Central American Junior Championships 200m champion; 2004 CARIFTA Games 200m gold in a World Junior record 19.93 seconds; 2007 World Championships 2nd 200m.
Bolt, who made a name for himself at the 2002 CARIFTA Games in the Bahamas by winning three gold medal, 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m, returned to the same competition in 2004 to break Lorenzo Daniel's world junior 200m record to become the first junior to break the 20-second barrier, running 19.93 seconds.
At the 2007 Jamaican Championships, Bolt ran 19.75 to break the 36-year-old national record held by Donald Quarrie, the 1976 Olympic 200m champion, by 11 hundredths of a second.
Bolt is highly rated by the IAAF and has received two IAAF Rising Star awards in 2003.
VERONICA CAMPBELL-BROWN
Event: 200m, 100m
PR: 200m 22.05 (2004) 100m 10.85 (2006)
Born: May 15, 1982, in Trelawny.
Career highlights: 1999 World Youth 100m gold medallist; 2000 World Junior 100m and 200m winner; 2002 Commonwealth Games 100m silver medallist; 2004 Olympic Games 200m champion, 100m bronze medallist, 4x100m gold medallist; World Athletics Final gold medallist; 2005 World Championships 100m silver medallist; World Athletics Final 100m gold; 2006 Commonwealth Games 100m 2nd; 2007 World Champion 100m 2nd 200m.
Campbell-Brown, at last summer's World Championships, won three medals with a gold in the 100m, a silver in the 200m (second to Allyson Felix) and a silver in the 4x100m relay.
Campbell is the only female to win both 100m and 200m sprints at the same world youth championship, which she accomplished in 2000.
At the 2004 Olympics, Campbell first placed third in the 100m and two days later won the 200m, beating out Felix of the United States. She later teamed up with Aleen Bailey, Tayna Lawrence and Sherone Simpson to win the 4x100m.
NOVLENE WILLIAMS-MILLS
Event: 400m
PR: 400m 49.53 (2006)
Born: Apr. 26, 1982, in St. Ann.
Career highlights: 2004 Olympic Games 4x400m bronze medallist; 2005 World Championships 4x400m silver medallist; 2005 National 400m champion; 2007 World Championships 400m bronze, 4x400m silver, National champion 400m.
Williams-Mills, who married late last year, made her breakthrough by capturing her first national 400m title in 2006 - 50.24, a then personal best.
Before that, however, the Ferncourt High past student had gone to the 2004 Olympics where won bronze in the 1600m relay. At the 2005 World Championships, she teamed up with Shericka Williams, Ronetta Smith and Lorraine Fenton for a silver medal.
Since the death of her coach last year, Williams-Mills has done a lot of work on her own.
MEET RECORDS
MEN
EVENT TIME WIND NAME
100m 9.84 1.8 Asafa Powell (JA) 2005
200m 19.97 -0.5 Tyson Gay (US) 2007
400m 44.66 Lashawn Merritt (US) 2005
800m 1:46.85 Kirk Sherridan (T&T) 2007
1500m 3:40.98 Geoffrey Kipkoech Rono (Kenya) 2006
110mH 13.30 0.4 Joel Brown (US) 2006
400mH 48.65 Derrick Williams (US) 2007
High Jump 2.28m Adam Shunk (US) 2005
Long Jump 7.95 1.6 James Beckford (JA) 2005
WOMEN
100m 11.03 0.8 Sherone Simpson (JA) 2005
200m 22.14 1.8 Sherone Simpson (JA) 2006
400m 49.89 Sanya Richards (US) 2006
800m 1:59.19 Kenia Sinclair (JA) 2007
100mH 12.50 0.9 Gail Devers (US) 2004
400mH 54.20 Lashinda Demus (US) 2006
Long Jump* 6.25 -0.7 Brianna Glenn (US) 2004
Triple Jump 14.34 -2.3 Trecia Smith (JA) 2006
*6.73 Marion Jones (US) 2004
DQ IAAF Rule 32.2a
2007 RESULTS
WOMEN
EVENT TIME WIND NAME
100m: 11.07 1.6 Veronica Campbell-Brown (JA)
200m: 22.65 -0.8 Rachelle Boone-Smith (US)
400m: 50.57 DeeDee Trotter (US)
800m: 1:59.19 Kenia Sinclair (JA)
100mh: 12.71 1.7 Brigitte Foster-Hylton (JA)
400mh: 55.21 Melaine Walker (JA)
Long jump: 6.06 -0.3 Tameisha King (US)
MEN
100m: 10.02 1.3 Darrel Brown (T&T)
200m: 19.97 -0.5 Tyson Gay (US)
400m 44.95 LaShawn Merritt (US)
800m 1:46.85 Kirk Sherridan (T&T)
1500m 3:42.91 Geoffrey Kipkoech Rono (KEN)
110mh 13.33 0.1 Aries Merritt (US)
400mh 48.65 Derrick Williams (US)
