RAYMOND GRAHAM, Star Writer

World 200m champion Allyson Felix going up against Olympic 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce should be one of the main highlights of the Adidas Grand Prix Meet in New York which gets under way in two weeks at the Icahn Stadium.

Felix, looking to improve on last year's result where she was second to Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown in the event, has been in good form this season. Although being the world leader in the event following her 22.38 seconds done in Daegu, Fraser-Pryce has also been in good form, following her wind-aided 22.10 seconds at the Jamaica International Invitational (JII) meet where she defeated Campbell-Brown.

Jamaica's Sherone Simpson, the Bahamas' Debbie Ferguson-McKenzie and the United States' pair of Shalonda Solomon and Bianca Knight are also in the event.

A number of Jamaican athletes will be at the meet and another of those who should attract attention is new sprint sensation Nickel Ashmeade.

Ashmeade will return to the venue with mixed feelings, as it was the meet where his season was cut short last year during the men's 100 metres where he sustained a hamstring injury.

ready for the big stage

In his two most recent races, the 200 metres at the JII meet and the 100 metres at the Ponce Grand Prix meet, he sent warnings to his rivals that he is ready for the big stage. At the Kingston meet, in the half lap event, he raced to personal and world best of 19.95 seconds and then to prove that his run was no fluke, at the Puerto Rico meet he posted a personal best in winning the men's 100 metres in 10.05 seconds. The run upstaged former World champion Justin Gatlin of the United States. Other Jamaicans in the sprints will include Nesta Carter, Michael Frater and Steve Mullings.

Following injury last year, World 100m hurdles champion Brigitte Foster-Hylton will make her second appearance this season in the event. She will face countrywoman Delloreen Ennis-London and the United States duo of Lolo Jones and world leader Kellie Whyte, who clocked 12.58 seconds at the Doha Meet.

Some nine of the world's number-one athletes will make their presence felt at the event. They include Tyson Gay and Jeremy Wariner, Croatia's Blanka Vlasic and Kenya's 1500 metre athlete Nancy Lagat.