Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion Melaine Walker will have her final warm-up for the London Games when she goes face to face with American arch-rival Lashinda Demus at the Herculis Diamond League meet in Monaco today.

Walker, who also won the 400m hurdles world title in 2009 before she was dethroned by Demus last year, has not been at her best this season but is a big-occasion performer and is expected to come good when the gold medal is on the line in London.

Demus has a season-best 53.98 to Walker's 54.62 and the two will be challenged strongly by the Czech Republic pair of Zuzan Hejnova (54.49) and Denisa Rosolova (54.24).

challenged strongly

Five other Jamaicans will be on show at the meet, including Kerron Stewart and Sheri-Ann Brooks in the women's 100 metres, Marvin Anderson and Nickel Ashmeade in the men's 200 metres and Andrew Riley in the men's 110m hurdles. Stewart, the 2008 Olympic 100m silver medallist, has a season-best 10.94 but will be challenged strongly by Nigeria's Blessing Okagbare who surprised a strong field with 11.01 seconds at Crystal Palace last weekend. American Tianna Madison, the runner-up at the United States trials, will also be a strong contender. In the men's 110m hurdles, Jamaica's Riley will oppose the crack American pair of Aries Merritt and Jason Richardson, two of the hottest sprint hurdlers around.

Riley, the runner-up at last months National Trials, has a year's best 13.12 while the two Americans, Merritt (12.93) and Richardson (12.98) have both gone below 13 seconds. Merritt is the World Indoor champion while Richardson took the outdoor title in Daegu last year following the disqualification of Cuba's Dayron Robles. Marvin Anderon and Nickel Ashmeade, fourth at the Jamaica Trials, will line up against American champion Wallace Spearmon and Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles in the 200m.