Over the last seven years, the adidas Grand Prix has consistently delivered thrills to the rabid Caribbean sprint fans calling the Five Boroughs home.
This year, despite the absence of Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce due to minor injuries, the organisers of the sixth stop of the 2014 IAAF Diamond League on Saturday (12) want you to know that, "everything is irie, mon."
The Jamaican flags will be waving feverishly for Olympic and World Championships medallists Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade, who will headline the men's 100m and 200m races on Randall's Island.
The hotter of the two sprints figures to be the 200m where Ashmeade, who ran on Jamaica's gold-medal-winning 4x100m at the 2013 World Championships, will look for his second Diamond League win of the season.
The winner in Doha last month will square off against fellow Diamond Race leader Alonso Edward, of Panama, who won the 200m at the Golden Gala in Rome last week, and Jamaica's Warren Weir, the London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist and Moscow 2013 silver medallist in the event, who finished second to Ashmeade in Doha. Jamaican Rasheed Dwyer will also be in the event
Blake, the 100m and 200m silver medallist at the London Games, headlines the 100m, a non-Diamond League event.
The 24-year-old, who led Jamaica to victories in the 4x100m and 4x200m at the recent IAAF World Relays, has run two 100m races this season with a best of 10.02. He won this race in New York two years ago in 9.90. Kemar Bailey-Cole and Nesta Carter are also in the event.
On the women's side, Jamaican hopes in the 100m rest on the shoulders of Samantha Henry-Robinson, who owns the second fastest time in the field this season at 11.00. Other Jamaicans Schillonie Calvert, Carrie Russell and Kerron Stewart also be in the event along side Americans Tori Bowie and Alexandria Anderson.
Anneisha McLaughlin (200m), Natoya Goule (800m), Demar Forbes (long jump), Kimberly Williams (triple), Anastasia Le-Roy (400), Leford Green (400H), Stephenie Ann McPherson (400m), Akheem Gauntlett (400m) and Shermaine Williams (100H) are other Jamaicans down to participate at the meet.
