World champion athletes Steven Gardiner and Shericka Jackson are among Caribbean headliners set to compete at the Miramar Invitational at the Ansin Sports Complex on Saturday.

Gardiner, who is making a return after missing the 2022 World Championships in Oregon with an inflamed tendon, will run the 200m against a line-up that includes Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and Botswana’s World U20 100m champion Letsile Tebogo.

The USA’s Kenny Bednarek will also compete in the half-lap sprint that is expected to be electric.

Meanwhile, Jackson, the reigning world 200m women’s champion, will take on a crack field in what will be her third 400m run for the season. She will line up against fellow Jamaicans, the Olympic finalist Stephenie-Ann McPherson, Janieve Russell and Charokee Young as well as American 400m hurdler Shamier Little and Aliya Adams.

World championships finalist Oblique Seville is among 22 sprinters listed for the 100m. The Jamaican prospect will take on compatriots Ackeem Blake, Andrew Hudson, Raheem Chambers, Oshane Bailey, and Michael Campbell for a lane in the finals.

Cejhae Green of Antigua and Barbuda, Ian Kerr of the Bahamas and Eric Harrison Jr of Trinidad and Tobago will also be aiming to make it into the finals. American veteran Mike Rodgers and current star Ronnie Baker will also be in contention.

Among the women, Briana Williams returns to her former training ground, hoping to make up for her poor performance over 200m at the recent Velocity Fest meet at the national stadium in Kingston. However, she will have her work cut out for her as she runs her first 100m this season.

A crack field has been assembled that includes the mercurial American Sha’Carri Richardson, compatriots Twanisha Terry, Teahna Daniels, Cambrea Sturgis, Melissa Jefferson and Javianne Oliver as well as Jamaicans Natasha Morrison, Jonielle Smith, Shockoria Wallace and Kashieka Cameron.

The 200m dash for women also promises to be intriguing with the likes of Caribbean stars World Championship 400m bronze medallist Sada Williams lining up against Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas and Jamaica’s Natalliah Whyte.

The race will also include the supremely talented Abby Steiner, Tamari Davis and Kyra Jefferson.

Machel Cedenio lines up in the 400m against Jamaica’s Rusheen McDonald and Alonzo Russell of the Bahamas. They will represent Caribbean pride as they do battle with the USA’s Michael Cherry and Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith.

Shafiqua Maloney of St Vincent and the Grenadines will take up the USA’s Ajee Wilson over 800m while Rajay Hamilton goes in the men’s equivalent against Puerto Rico’s Ryan Sanchez.

BVI’s Kyron McMaster will take on Marvin Williams of Jamaica and Andre Colebrook of the Bahamas over the 400m hurdles while Orlando Bennett, Damion Thomas of Jamaica and Shane Brathwaite of Barbados will challenge the might of American Daniel Roberts in the 110m hurdles.

Amoi Brown of Jamaica faces a tough field of Tonea Marshall, Anna Cockrell and Gabby Cunningham in the 100m hurdles that also features Haitian talent Mulern Jean.

In the field events, the long jump for both men and women should provide solid entertainment as 2019 World Champion Tajay Gayle, who has been gradually making a return from a long-term knee injury has been included in a field that also has LaQuan Nairn of the Bahamas and Andwuelle Wright of Trinidad and Tobago.

They will have their hands full facing Japan’s Shoutarou Shiroyama.

The women’s event promises to be an evenly matched affair as Jamaica’s Chanice Porter and Barbados’ Akela Jones will match skills against the USA’s Tiffany Flynn and Taliyah Brooks.

Danniel Thomas-Dodd and Lloydricia Cameron will be aiming for podium spots in the shot put as they take on the likes of Adelaide Aquilla and Khayla Dawson of the USA.

Defending World 100m Champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce stole the show Thursday’s day one of the Jamaican National Senior Track and Field Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston with a blistering 10.70 to win her heat of the Women’s 100m.

Reigning Olympic Gold and Bronze medallists Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson were also safely through to Friday’s semi-finals with times of 11.06 and 10.99, respectively.

2011 World 100m Champion Yohan Blake ran his fastest time since 2017 with a 9.93 effort to advance to the semi-finals in the Men’s equivalent.

The fastest Jamaican in 2022, Oblique Seville, was also in fine form with an easy 9.98 clocking to win his heat.

Conroy Jones (10.00), Ackeem Blake (10.01), Oshane Bailey (10.03) and Kemar Bailey-Cole (10.06) were also among the fastest qualifiers to Friday’s semis.

There was a surprise in the Women’s high jump as Kimberly Williamson won her seventh national title with a 1.88 clearance ahead of pre-meet favourite Lamara Distin on Texas A&M University who cleared 1.85m.

Distin, the NCAA Champion, twice broke the Jamaican national record this season and her best clearance, 1.97m, places her third on the world list this season.

“I just felt like my run-up felt wrong today. It wasn’t the perfect day to jump so I just feel like it’s one of those days I have to accept and move on from,” Distin said.

“My expectation at the World Championships is to be in the medals,” she added.

Jamaica looks set to qualify a men’s 4x100m relay team for the Tokyo Olympics this summer after running the second-fastest time in the world this year at a time trials meet at GC Foster yesterday.