Vere's Jura Levy anchors her team to victory in the girls' 4x200m open event on Saturday at the Gibson Relays at the National Stadium. Levy is one of the major contenders at this weekend's CARIFTA trials. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

The 2009 CARIFTA Games Trials, set to be held this Saturday and Sunday at the Stadium East Complex, is expected to be the most competitive in years.

The island's top junior athletes, aged 19 years and under, will face off for spots among the maximum 70 athletes who are expected to make the trip.

Based on the CARIFTA Games, teams are allowed 15 athletes each in the Under-17 girls and boys' sections, 18 each in each of the Under-19 sections, along with four floats, who can be selected for any section.

This means several of the island's top athletes will not make the trip to St Lucia for the April 11-13 regional meeting.

In the Under-20 girls' sprints, Carrie Russell, who is now at The Queen's School, Vere's Jura Levy and Edwin Allen's Gayon Evans are the top 100m runners, while Antonique Campbell of Herbert Morrison will be added to the same field for the 200m.

Deeper field

The Under-20 girls 400m field is a bit deeper as Wolmer's Danielle Dowie, who has improved a lot this season, is expected to figure in a big showdown with seasoned campaigner Amoy Blake of Edwin Allen, World Youth silver medallist Latoya McDermott of St Andrew High, Campbell and her schoolmate Shavine Hodges.

Manchester High's Natoya Goule is expected to have things her way in the middle-distance events - the girls' Under-20 800m and 1500m - which leaves the Edwin Allen pair of Ristannana Tracey and Macola Joseph, along with Holmwood's Shantea McLean, to fight for the other spot.

Another hot battle is expected in the girls' 100m hurdles between Kaymarie Jones of the University of Technology (UTech), Keisha Wallace of Wolmer's and Immaculate's Samantha Elliott.

In the 400m hurdles, the fight is between Nikita Tracey and Shana-Gaye Tracey. Dowie, the 300m hurdles Under-17 winner at Carifta Games last year, should also be there at the finish.

On the boys' side, St Jago's World Junior 200m silver medallist Nickel Ashmeade, who had his hand fractured recently and Herbert Morrison's Dexter Lee, the World Junior champion, should not have any problems. Ramone McKenzie of Calabar, along with any of the top two, should also represent Jamaica in the Under-20 200m.

Worthy competitors

McKenzie should also have things easy in the 400m, but the Kingston College pair of Rolando Berch and Akino Ming, Dwayne Extol of Wolmer's and Darion Bent of UTech are worthy competitors.

Javere Bell of Seaforth and Edwin Allen's Conroy Crossman are two to watch in the 800m, while Bellefield High's Kemoy Campbell is unstoppable in the 1500m and 5000m.

Among the Under-17s, Sandrae Farquharson of Manchester High is one to watch in the 200m/400m, along with Holmwood's Chris-Ann Gordon, who is capable of taking spots in the 100m, 200m and 400m.

Waquar DaCosta of Jamaica College and Calabar's Travis Drummond are among the top Under-17 boys.