Jones, 800-metre runner Wilson Kipketer of Denmark, Kenyan steeplechaser Bernard Barmasai and Romanian 3,000-metre specialist Gabriela Szabo are all in the chase for a big payday after winning four of the seven Golden League events so far.

Jones, one of three to share in the Golden League bonus last year, will be using the prestigious Weltklasse track meet as a final buildup for Seville, where she is aiming for four titles. Jones, unbeaten in the track events since 1997, is likely to encounter little difficulty defending her status as either as world champion or Golden League favourite at the Letzigrund, where she will run the 200 metres.

The 23-year-old American, looking for her 21st consecutive 200m win, is the only woman to run under 22seconds this season and has posted the five fastest times this summer. In the absence of her stiffest competitor, Ukraine's world 200-metre champion Zhanna Pintusevich, Jones will face the usual suspects in US champion Inger Miller and Sevatheda Fynes of the Bahamas. Barmasai, the only athlete to cross under eight minutes in the steeplechase this season, is also a strong favourite, the Kenya posting the season's four best times.

Kipketer and Szabo might have the most difficulty maintaining their split of the $ 1 million Golden League booty, both having been pushed to season's best efforts in order to preserve their streak.

The four survivors need to win all seven Golden League events this summer in order to receive a share of the $ 1 million bonus.

With athletes trying to make their mark in the last track meet before the World Championships, the flagship 100-metre event is heavily dosed with top names, led by world record holder Maurice Greene.

Lining up against the world champion American will be200-metre world champion Ato Boldon of Trinidad, red-hot Canadian Bruny Surin and Olympic gold medalist Donovan Bailey, who is still trying to regain his form after tearing his Achilles tendon last fall.

Bailey, who's best 100-metre result this season was 10.19 at the Canadian Championships, ran sub-par times of 10.36 and 10.30 last weekend and will decide tomorrow whether he will compete in Spain or end his season early. Boldon, returning to competition after straining a leg muscle, also signed up for the 200 metre, along with Olympic and World silver medalist Frankie Fredericks of Namibia.

The most tantalising event of the meet will be the men's 1,500 metre, where world record holder Hicham El Guerrouj will take on distance sensation Noah Ngeny of Kenya, 5,000-metre world champion and 3,000-metre world record holder Daniel Komen of Kenya and Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder Noureddin Morceli of Algeria.

In another long-distance battle, Ethiopia's Haile Gebreselassie, who has broken15 world records, will run the 5,000-metre, along with five-time cross country world champion Paul Tergat of Kenya and Salah Hissou of Morocco.