McFarlane and Smith

Six veterans who have served Jamaica's track and field with distinction over a number of years could be making their final appearances in the national colours at next week's Berlin World Championships.

These six athletes - all 33 years old and over - are Danny McFarlane, Maurice Wignall, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Delloreen Ennis-London, Trecia Smith and Lacena Golding-Clarke.

Thirty-seven year-old McFarlane is undoubtedly the most successful of the lot at these championships as he has most medals of all Jamaicans on the present team with five relay medals in his possession.

McFarlane, who started out as a 400 metres runner for Jamaica and who later switched to the 400 metres hurdles, won his first medal at the Gothenburg meet in 1995 where he teamed with Gregory Haughton, Davian Clarke and Michael McDonald for silver in the 4x400 metres in 2:59.89.

For the next four championships - Athens in 1997, Seville in 1999, Edmonton in 2001 and Paris in 2003 - McFarlane was a member of quartets which bagged silver medals in the 4x400m.

national record

Golding-Clarke and Foster-Hylton

At the Athens meet, McFarlane joined with Clarke, McDonald and Haughton to produce a national record, 2:56.75, which still stands. Although finishing third at the Edmonton Championships in 2001, the team was elevated to second when first past the line, the United States, were disqualified following a doping violation. The Bahamas, who crossed the line in second place are now the gold medal winners.

McFarlane, who was fourth in the 400 metres hurdles in 2003 and eighth two years ago, will be hoping to be among the medals for the first time in this event. In his final prep meet in Monaco, he ran a season best 48.13 seconds for a fourth-place finish and could challenge for a medal in Berlin. Foster-Hylton, Ennis-London and Golding-Clarke, all 34, will be aiming to leave Berlin with a medal in the 100 metres hurdles.

Both Foster-Hylton and Ennis-London remain very competitive and could exit on a high note. They have each won a silver and a bronze at the World Championships.

Foster-Hylton bagged silver in Paris in 2003 and bronze in Helsinki in 2005. Ennis-London, who finished seventh in Seville in 1999, got her bronze in Osaka two years ago and silver at Helsinki in 2005. Golding-Clarke's best result came in Paris in 2003 where she finished eighth. Their rankings going into the championships are Hylton (6), London (7) and Clarke (10).

riple jump gold

Ennis-London and Wignall

After giving the country its first field-event gold medal at these championships in 2005 when she won triple jump gold in Helsinki, Smith is ranked at 10 with 14.43 metres ahead of Berlin and will be hoping that she can at least equal or go close to her personal best of 15.11m when she won four years ago.

Wignall has undoubtedly been Jamaica's best male sprint hurdler for many years and after reaching the last two championships finals, the 33-year-old veteran has a good chance to end his international career on a high note.

least ranked

Wignall, who was seventh in Helsinki and eighth two years ago, is the least ranked Jamaican male hurdler going into the championships, but he is a big occasion performer and with the field wide open, except for Cuba's world record holder Dayron Robles, he could force his way into the finals once again and be a medal contender.

While it could take something very special for all six veterans to leave the championships with medals they truly have played their roles as great ambassadors for the country over the years and their presence over the nine days of the Championships will surely be an inspiration for the younger athletes.