Stars line up at Jamaica International

Top athletes will be engaged in battles royal as the Jamaica International Invitational meet will take centre stage at the National Stadium this evening.

The International Hammer Throw for women starts things going at 2 p.m., and the International Javelin for men continues the programme at 4:15 p.m.

One of the main events to watch out for is the women's 400 metres at 9:23 p.m.

This will feature the Jamaican trio of Stephenie-Ann McPherson, Novlene Williams-Mills, and Christine Day, who were third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, a year ago.

All three will face last year's runner-up, Francena McCorory of the United States, a winner of the event two years ago.

tough battle

From a local standpoint, another event that will draw a lot of attention will be the women's 100 metres hurdles.

Here, world champion Danielle Williams will be engaged in a very tough battle, where she will compete on local soil for the first time since her heroic win at the World Championships.

The defending champion Jasmin Stowers is out, but her countrywomen, Sharika Nelvis, Brianna Rollins, and Dawn Harper will be hoping for a clean sweep.

"I am under no pressure as I am going into the race to have fun, and if you want to be the best you have to beat the best," Williams told STAR Sports in a recent interview.

On the men's side, Jamaica's, Asafa Powell, a very popular athlete among local fans, will not defend his 100 metres title, but will compete over the 200 metres.

Powell will be aiming for sub-20 seconds. Rasheed Dwyer is expected to do well here.

Julian Forte, Kemar Bailey-Cole, and Oshane Bailey will carry the local flag in the Men's 100 metres where the United States duo of Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers will be hoping for a top two finish.