EIGHTEEN Jamaicans will take advantage of the US$3.02 million prize money on offer at this weekend's two-day IAAF/VTB Bank World Athletics Final in Thessaloniki, Greece.

BOLT... world record holder at 100m and 200m

Jamaica's reigning world champions Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser, Brigitte Foster-Hylton and Melaine Walker will go for the first-place prize money of US$30,000 (JMD$2.55m), with a bonus of US$100,000 for the world record.

In the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Germany in 2006, Bolt placed third in the 200m clocking 20.10 seconds, after winner Tyson Gay, who posted a championship record 19.68 seconds, ahead of fellow American Wallace Spearmon second in a then personal best of 19.88 seconds.

Now Bolt, the double world-record holder with a personal best 19.19 seconds in the 200m, will compete in the half-lap event with World Championships bronze medallist Spearmon, who has a personal best 19.65 seconds, with Antiguan Brendan Christian, seeking his first sub 20-second clocking.

Asafa Powell hunts his fourth consecutive victory in the 100m at the World Athletics Final, having recorded all his previous wins in Stuttgart, Germany.

Powell, the World Championship bronze medallist, will contend with a trio of Americans led by Tyson Gay, Darvis Patton and Michael Rodgers and fellow Jamaican Michael Frater.

FRASER... Olympic and World 100m champion

New national record holder Dwight Thomas, the eighth fastest sprint hurdler this year in a personal best 13.16 seconds, will line up in the 110m hurdles against world champion Ryan Brathwaite of Barbados and five other Americans, including Dexter Faulk and Aries Merritt.

The top eight finishers at the World Athletics Final will receive prize money while in middle-distance events it will extend to the top 12 finishers.

Jamaicans Danny McFarlane and Isa Phillips will run the 400m hurdles, with national champion Phillips, the fourth fastest in his event this season, eager to make up for his tactical blunder at last summer's World Championship in Berlin.

They will face the three fastest one-lap hurdlers this season, world champion Kerron Clement of the USA, South African LJ van Zyl, and World Championship bronze medallist Bershawn Jackson of the USA.

McFarlane and Phillips placed second and third at last year's World Athletics Final, won by American Clement.

World champion Fraser, one of the 30 at the World Athletics Final in Greece, will also be seeking to defend her title, with countrywoman Kerron Stewart and American Carmelita Jeter, the top three in Berlin, going for glory where second place get US$20,000 (JMD$1.7m) and third place walk away with US$12,000 (JMD$1.02m).

Stewart will also run the 200m with Shericka Williams and Jamaican-born American Sanya Richards and USA's Allyson Felix.

Williams, Richards and Felix will also take part in the 400m, where Jamaican champion Novlene Williams will join them.

Richards won both the 200 and 400 metres at last year's World Athletics Final.

Foster-Hylton has the best opportunity to go one place better than she did in 2005 when she placed second and compatriot Delloreen Ennis-London third, after American Michelle Perry.

Both Jamaicans as well as countrywoman Lacena Golding-Clarke will run in this weekend's 100m hurdles, battling two Canadians Priscilla Lopes-Schliep and Perdita Felicien and three Americans Danielle Carruthers, Damu Cherry, and Dawn Harpter.

Foster-Hylton, with a world-leading time of 12.46 seconds, has been unbeaten in her last seven races.

Walker, defending champion in the 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Final, and compatriot Kaliese Spencer will attempt to go out with a bang but Americans Lashinda Demus, Sheena Tosta, and Tiffany Williams, Trinidadian Josanne Lucas, bronze medallist in Berlin, and Poland's Anna Jesien will be up for the challenge.

Jamaica's Trecia Smith will compete in the triple jump, facing World Championship silver and bronze medallists Mabel Gay of Cuba and Anna Pyatykh of Russia.