Blake, Carter face to face

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

The curtain falls on the inaugural Diamond League season today with the staging of the Van Damme meet in Brussels, Belgium.

Today's stellar event is the men's 100 metres (1:45 p.m. Ja time) where a quartet of Jamaicans will be seeking to cool the hot American sprinter Tyson Gay.

Gay, the fastest man in the world this year over 100 metres, will face the fast-rising duo of Yohan Blake and Nesta Carter, World Junior champion Dexter Lee and Mario Forsythe.

While the American will start favourite to win the event and try to improve his season best of 9.78 seconds, a lot of focus, from a local viewpoint, will be on the private clash between Blake and Carter.

Bolt and Powell

Despite the absence of Jamaica's top two, world record holder Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, the race is expected to be a thriller. Both Bolt and Powell have ended their seasons early because of injury, but Gay has said he will still be going for a fast time as he wants to go close to, or even better his personal best and American record of 9.69 seconds.

While Gay is expected to win it should be close between Blake and Carter, two runners from Jamaica's top track clubs, Racing and MVP. The last time both athletes met, at the Jamaica International Invitational meet in May, Blake was disqualified for false starting and Carter went on to win the event.

Since then, both athletes have gone from strength to strength and Carter has the slight edge following two recent sub-10 seconds, which includes a personal best of 9.86 seconds at the Nottwil Meet. Blake also has a fast personal best of 9.89 seconds done at the London Grand Prix meet and will be hoping to better that time. Blake, who is usually a slow starter, must improve in this area as Carter is very quick out of the blocks and could use this to get the better of his countryman.

Other Jamaicans

The line-up for the event is completed by American Trell Kimmmons with a season and personal best of 9.95, Trinidad and Tobago's Richard Thompson with a 2010 best of 10.01, and Antigua and Barbuda's Daniel Bailey with a best of 10.00.

Four other Jamaicans are down to compete. Allodin Fothergill will run the men's 400 metres while Dorian Scott will do battle in the men's shot put. Korene Hinds will be hoping to do well in the women's 3000 metres steeplechase where Madrea Hyman will once again be the pacesetter.

Another event which is expected to be a humdinger is the women's 100 metres hurdles as the winner of the Diamond League will be decided after the event, as American Lolo Jones and Canada's Priscilla Lopes-Schliep are tied on 14 points.

The Canadian, the world leader with 12.52 seconds, is in the best form of her life and after getting the better of the American in her last three races is expected to do so once again and walk away with the US$40,000 top prize and the Diamond League trophy.

The meet will also feature men's 800m world record holder David Rudisha of Kenya, following his impressive 1:41.09 in Berlin on Sunday. South Africa's women's world 800m champion, Caster Semenya, will also be in action.