Top track and field stars begin hunt for Paris tickets tomorrow

THE HUNT for places on the country's national senior track and field team to the 2024 Paris Olympics begins tomorrow when the four-day JAAA/Puma National Senior and Junior Championships begins at the National Stadium.

While the seniors will be seeking tickets to Paris, the juniors will look to qualify for the World Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru.

Action on tomorrow's opening day will get under way at 9 a.m. with qualification round of the men's 100m where 66 athletes are involved. Here the six fastest will advance to the preliminary round of the event later in the day at 8:45 p.m where they will join 26 other athletes.

Preceding the men's 100m will be the women's 100m preliminary round at 8:25 p.m. The women's 100m is one of the most anticipated events of the championships. Fans will know the status of the country's most successful female sprinters - Shericka Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and back-to-back Olympic sprint double winner Elaine Thompson Herah. All three have had less than impressive starts to the season but are expected to show just how fit they are at this time and whether they will be able to finish in the top three in the events at the championships and book tickets to the Olympic Games.

Jackson clocked 10.65 seconds to win the 100m title last year. Fraser-Pryce who had a bye in the event for the World Championships in Budapest did not contest the event while Thompson Herah finished out of the top three. There are no byes to the Olympics.

Jackson crossed the line in 11.03 in her 100m season opener on May 4. Her time is the best among the top three. Fraser-Pryce clocked 11.15 on June 15. Both won their events. However, Thompson Herah appears to be bothered by an injury and finished at the back of the field in her last 100m run at the New York City Grand Prix. After clocking 11.48 She was lifted from the track after her run. The nature of her injury is still unclear.

Following a change in the schedule, the qualification of the men's 400m will get under way at 10 a.m. Twenty four athletes are down to contest the event where the top eight will move on to the semifinal round at 6:45 p.m. where they will join the 16 seeded athletes.

The adjustment in the schedule for the 400m was done to facilitate the athletes who will compete in the 4x400m. Following the final which is slated for Friday the athletes will get a full day's rest to concentrate on competing in the relay on Sunday, final day of the meet. Here the team will make one final attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games after three failed attempts.

Tomorrow will also see first-round action in the women's and men's 400m hurdles, under-20 boys and girls' and senior men's 800m.

Six finals are down to be contested on the opening day, five in the field and one on the track. The lone track finals is the men's 5000m which is down for 5 p.m.

Field events finals scheduled are under-20 girls javelin, discus and triple jump. Two senior finals, the women's long jump and high jump, will also be contested.