Foster-Hylton to debut at UWI Invitational

Raymond Graham, Gleaner Writer

WORLD Championships 100 metres hurdles champion, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, will make her entry to the track today in over a year, when she competes in the women's development 400 metres event at the UWI Usain Bolt track.

The meet is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m.

Foster-Hylton, who is coming off an injury, is one of several high profile athletes from MVP and Racers Track Club, who will be in action at the meet today.

Hylton, who will take the track at 3:35 p.m., will run against training partners Sherone Simpson and World and Olympic 100 metres champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as well as four members of rival club Racers - Sonita Sutherland and former national 400 metres champion, Rosemarie Whyte, who are making their seasonal debut, along with their teammates Shereefa Lloyd and Davita Prendergast.

Brilliant seasonal debut

Following her brilliant seasonal debut a few weeks ago at the Queen's/Grace Jackson Invitational, where she humbled her opponents with an impressive 2:08.77 in the women's 800, Diamond League 400 metres hurdles champion, Kaliese Spencer, will be looking to better that time in the event, which is set to begin at 3:20 p.m. Her MVP teammates - Melaine Walker, the Olympic and World Championships 400 metres hurdles champion and World and Olympic silver medallist, Shericka Williams, are also listed for the 800.

Millrose Games Indoors 60m champion, Nesta Carter and teammates Michael Frater from the powerful MVP, will compete in the men's 400 at 3:40 p.m. Both were a part of the MVP record-breaking 4x100 relay team at the Milo Western Relays last month.

Racers' Josef Robertson, Warren Weir, Allodin Fothergill and Markino Buckley will also be competing in the one-lap event.

Several of the leading high school athletes will also be in action. Topping the bill will be Bridgeport High School's outstanding sprinter, Jahzeel Murphy, who has been bang in form after returning from a one-year absence due to injury. After posting good times in the 100 and 200 metres at the same venue at two separate meets, Murphy will compete in the Olympic 200 metres event, where he will battle with Racers Edino Steele and Wolmer's Boys' Julian Forte, who is expected to be one of Murphy's main challengers in both sprints at Champs.

It should be very competitive in the hurdles, with the girl's Class Two 100m set to take centrestage once again as the keen rivalry between St. Jago High's Chrisdale McCarthy, the Holmwood pair of Janieve Russell and Osheen Erskine and St. Andrew High School's Megan Simmonds, is set to continue.

Among the boys, Kingston College's Stefan Fennell is expected to put on another great show in the Class One 110m.

The high school boys' Open javelin and the boy's and girl's Open 2000 metres steeplechase, which will be contested for the first time at Champs this year, are also on today's schedule.