Van Niekerk flies in today for Grand Prix

World 400 metres champion South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk will be among the first batch of foreign athletes who will arrive here for next Saturday's Racers Grand Prix.

Van Niekerk and two of his compatriots are due in at 5 a.m. today at the Norman Manley International Airport. Also arriving with van Niekerk are 100 metres sprinter Akani Simbine and 200 and 400m specialist Justine Palframan. They will be accompanied by their manager and coach.

Simbine is the World University Games winner and South African record holder in the men's 100m. He has a personal best time of 9.96 seconds over that distance.

Palframan is the World University Games winner in the women's 400 metres, the African Junior champion and the South African national champion in the same event. She has a personal best time of 51.27 seconds.

The South African athletes will be staying at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, the official hotel for the Racers Grand Prix.

In the week leading up to the games, they will be training with the Racers Track Club athletes at he Usain Bolt track at the UWI Mona Bowl.

More than 80 foreign or overseas-based athletes are expected to participate in the first staging of the Racers Grand Prix at Jamaica's National Stadium on Saturday, June 11.