Olympic 100 metres champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will battle MVP Track Club teammate Carrie Russell in a special women's 100 metres at today's Queen's/Grace Jackson Invitational meet at the National Stadium.

The Queen's Invitational is one of two major track and field events on today. In Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth Technical High will host the STETHS/Dyoll meet at St Elizabeth Technical. Both meets are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.

Most attention will be centred on the National Stadium where Fraser-Pryce and several members of the MVP Track Club will make their season debuts. Also down to face the starter will be Olympic sprint relay gold medallist Nesta Carter. Carter will contest the men's special 100 metres along with former World Junior 100 metres champion Dexter Lee. Last year's World Junior 200 metres champion, Delano Williams of Munro College, will compete in the half-lap event.

Meet organiser Olive McNaughton expects an exciting meet.

"Over 2000 athletes have entered and we expect a good day of action although we are having some challenges as some of the equipment we need for the meet we are not getting them," she said.

leaders set to shine

Athletes from the various high schools are set to continue their keen rivalry as they seek qualifying standards going into the ISSA/Boys and Girls' Championships in mid-March. The leading boys' teams - Calabar High, Kingston College, Jamaica College and St Jago High - are expected to be at the National Stadium, while the top girls' teams like Edwin Allen High, Holmwood Technical and Vere Technical are expected to travel to St Elizabeth.

At STETHS, Vere's top two female athletes, Shericka Jackson and Olivia James, will be in action. Both athletes were members of Jamaica's team at last year's World Junior Championships in Barcelona, Spain, and both will compete in Class One 400 metres.

There will be cash incentives for the top male and female high-school teams in the 4x400 and 4x800 metres at St Elizabeth Technical. The home team will lead the charge in the boys' 4x400m where Manchester High with Lennox Williams and Oshane Burrell should be their main rivals. In the girls' race Edwin Allen, Holmwood and Vere are set to continue their keen rivalry.

At St Elizabeth Technical all the throwing events, except the javelin, will be contested while on the track the events scheduled are 400m hurdles, 1500m, 100m and 4x400m.

At the National Stadium, the events on the track will be 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4x400m and medley relay. The field schedule is long jump, high jump, triple jump, shot put, pole vault and discus.