GRAND CAYMAN – World record holder Usain Bolt headline the list of international athletes for the 5th edition of the Cayman Invitational to be held at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in Grand Cayman on 14 May.
Bolt, the World Championships and Olympic Games sprint champion, will be making his second appearance in the Cayman Islands, and he is scheduled to run his first 100m race for the 2016 season at the meet.
Cayman Islands’ star Kemar Hyman and Commonwealth Games champion, Kemar Bailey-Cole, who trains with Bolt at the Racers Track Club under Glen Mills, are also listed for the 100m.
“I am pleased to announce that I will be competing in the 100m at the Cayman International T&F meeting on May 14,” Bolt, who will defend his Olympic title at Rio 2016 last this summer, said in a statement.
“It will be my first international competition in 2016 and my second time to run in Cayman.
“I always enjoy competing in the Caribbean and look forward to meeting my fans in Cayman,” added the Jamaican who holds the world records in the 100m, at 9.58 seconds and 200m, at 19.19.
Also listed among the already confirmed international super stars is American Allyson Felix, who is another World and Olympic Games champion.
The versatile sprinter is specialized in the 200m, but has proven in the past that she has the speed and endurance to also run the 100m and 400m, after winning gold in the latter event at the Beijing World Championships last year.
Felix is yet to decide on her event for the Cayman Invitational, but said she is looking forward to competing at the meet.
“I am excited to be competing in the Cayman Invitational meeting on May 14,” said Felix, who has won three world 200m titles in her career.
“I always enjoy competing in the Caribbean and Grand Cayman is one of my favorite islands to visit since the past two years,” added the 30-year-old holder who has also won four Olympic Games gold medals.
Other notable names listed for this year’s meet are American 2011 World 100m champion, Carmelita Jeter, Great Britain’s Zharnell Hughes and Antigua and Barbuda’s Miguel Francis, who both train with Bolt in Kingston, Trinidad and Tobago quarter-miler Machel Cedenio, USA’s Jenna Prandini and Natasha Morrison, who was a member of Jamaica’s winning 4x100m squad at last year’s IAAF World Championships.
“Once again, I am very happy to be taking world-class athletes to the Cayman Islands,” Meet Director and former Cayman Islands sprinter Cydonie Mothersill said in a release.
“We are building a brand and what better way to do it than to take the best athletes around the world for Caymanians to see live.”
Mothersill added: “It’s an Olympic year and I’m sure many of those who will be running here will medal in Rio.”
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