2011: A cracking year ahead for Jamaica's athletics....


Man of the century, Usain Bolt will no doubt be in the spotlight this year. The 13th World Championship in Athletics kicks on August 27, 2011 in Osaka. This will be the highlight for the year in athletics and all the major players will be on show.


Usain Bolt will be seeking to retain his 100 and 200 meters titles, and may even be looking to again erase the world records in both events. He will be strongly tested by Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell in the 100 meters. Other contenders in this race will be Jamaica's Nester Cater and Yohan Blake, who ran consistently under the 10 second mark in 2010. In the 200 meters, Tyson Gay will again be a threat to Bolt, but will find it hard to beat Bolt if he cannot run below 19.20. In the 4X100 men, Jamaica will present one of the strongest relay teams in history. With an abundance of choices for the relay, Jamaica could likely shatter the world record in this event again.


Jermaine Gonzales will also be a force to be reckoned with in the 400 meters. Jeremy Wariner of the US will be his main competitor, as he had the best of him in 2010.


In the women's event, the Jamaica trio of Shelly-Ann Fraser, Kerry-Ann Stewart and Sherone Simpson will be dominant in the 100 and 200 meters. They will be up against the likes of Carmelita Jeter and Allyson Felix.


In the coming weeks I will look at some other events and Jamaica's prospects.