KINGSTON, Jamaica — Junior standouts Briana Williams and Kevona Davis will match strides early after the two were drawn together in the heats of the women’s 100m at the 2019 Jamaica National Championships at the National Stadium on Thursday.
The pair will race next to each other in heat 3.
Williams, the World Junior 100/200 sprint double champion from 2018 will start in lane four, while Davis, the 2017 World Youth Championships bronze medallist over 100m, will get going from lane five.
Also starting in the third heat are Natasha Morrison, a gold medal winner with the Jamaican women’s 4x100m relay team from the Worlds in 2015 and Shashalee Forbes, a silver medallist with the Olympic 2016 sprint relay team.
Defending champion Elaine Thompson, who has already clocked 10.89 seconds already this season, meanwhile, will race from heat 2.
The Olympic sprint double champion, who is the third quickest this season, will have for company her fellow MVP training partner Christania Williams, Schillonie Calvert-Powell, Rene Medley and Remona Burchell.
Seven-time world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the second fastest woman this year with 10.88 seconds, will start her quest for a sixth national title when she starts in the first heat, alongside experienced sprinters Simone Facey and Samantha Henry-Robinson.
Jura Levy and Gayon Evans will also feature in heat 1.
Elsewhere, Natalliah Whyte, the fifth fastest Jamaican this season, Jonielle Smith and Shian Hyde will start in heat 4.
The heats of the women’s 100m will go off 8:40 pm local time on Thursday night.