J’cans set for busy opening day at Ultimate Champs

Jamaica will have 10 athletes competing on today’s opening day of the Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary, with the country’s campaign getting under way with the mixed 4x100 metres relay before attention turns to the individual events.

The mixed 4x100m final, the first final of the championships, is scheduled for 12:08 p.m. Jamaica time and will provide the nation’s athletes with an early opportunity to challenge for the top spot in the event.

After their 39.62 seconds world record run at the World Relays in May in Gaborone, Botswana, Jamaica will start favourites to go all the way. Tia Clayton who anchored Jamaica to victory then will not be a member of the quartet today but the country will still have several good replacements.

Field-event action will see Lamara Distin contesting the women’s high jump final at 1:55 p.m. Jamaica time.

There will also be strong Jamaican interest on the track in individual events , with athletes competing in the men’s and women’s sprint hurdles semi-finals, as well as the women’s 400m semi-finals.

Megan Simmonds and Ackera Nugent will contest semi-final one of the women’s 100m hurdles while in semi-final two, Demisha Roswell and Daniellle Williams will face the starter.

For the men s 110m hurdles, Demario Prince and Orlando Bennett will start in semi-final one with Tyler Mason doing so in semi-final two

The women’s 100m hurdles final is scheduled for 2:20 p.m Jamaica time, while the men’s 110m hurdles final will follow at 2:49 p.m.

Niickisha Pryce and Stacy Ann Williams will be involved in the women’s 400m semi-finals today with the final slated for tomorrow.