COMING OF AGE

A WEEK before the JAAA National Junior and Senior Championships, big performances from the country’s record-breaking under-20 athletes at the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, were expected, and the athletes, making their way in the senior ranks, did not disappoint.

In Cali, Colombia, the then juniors, walked away with 16 medals, the most by any country and one more than the powerful United States team.

These athletes did not disappoint at the four-day Championships, where the likes of Tina Clayton, Roshawn Clarke, and Bryan Levell were crowned national champions while several others booked their tickets to Tokyo after finishing in the top three in their respective events.

Tina, the World Under-20 female champion in the 100m in Cali, set the stage for what was to come from the young brigade.

Tina, who was second last year in the women’s blue riband event and made her senior debut at the Olympic Games, where she reached the finals, was an impressive winner in what was the most competitive event at the Championships.

She claimed victory against a stacked women’s 100m field, clocking a personal best 10.81 seconds to win her first senior title. The time makes her number three in the world.

There was disappointment, however, for twin sister Tia, who was in impeccable form this season. She had emerged as the top Jamaican following her display on the Doha Diamond League, where she romped to victory in 10.92.

Tia, a member of the world record-breaking 4x100m relay team in Cali and the fastest qualifier from the semi-finals in a personal best 10.86, pulled up with an injury mid-race in the final when a top-three finish was definitely on the cards.

Clarke, who was third in Cali in the men’s 400-metre hurdles, was the national senior champion in the event in 2023. He went on to make his first senior team, competing at the Budapest World Championships, where he finished fourth in the final. In the semi-finals, he broke the World Under-20 record, posting 47.34.

Clarke made his second senior team last year at the Paris Olympic Games after a second-place finish at the National Championships. He returned to reclaim his title last weekend, winning the event in a season’s best 48.02, setting himself up for his third senior trip in a row.

Levell, who was sixth in Cali in the 200m, was the other athlete from those Championships to be crowned national champion over the weekend, winning the men’s 200m in 20.10 seconds to retain his senior title. A year ago, he made his senior debut, competing in the half-lap event at the Paris Olympics.

Two athletes, who had misfortune in Cali — sprint hurdler Demario Prince and quarter-miler Delano Kennedy — booked their first individual senior spots at the Trials.

Prince, who fell in the finals of the men’s 110m hurdles in Cali and failed to finish, was an impressive second-place finisher in the event over the weekend, clocking a personal best 13.12 seconds. The Baylor University athlete has now booked his ticket to Tokyo.

Kennedy, who was dominant in the 400m semi-finals in Cali and was on target for a medal before being disqualified in the final for a false start, made his senior debut at this year’s World Relays in China two months ago as part of the mixed 4x400m relay team. His biggest moment came last Saturday when he finished second in the 400m final in 44.90.

Although he is yet to attain the automatic qualifying standard of 44.85, he looks set to compete in the 4x400m relays in Tokyo.

Another athlete from Cali, Dejanea Oakley — who finished fifth in the women’s 400m — was second at the National Championships.

Oakley, the fastest Jamaican woman in the event this season with a personal best 49.65, clocked 50.08 behind winner Nickisha Pryce to book an individual ticket to the World Championships.

Three other athletes who participated in Cali — Kerrica Hill, Alana Reid, and Bouwahjgie Nkrumi — had fair results at the Championships.

Hill, who won gold in Cali and again two years later in Peru, just missed out on a top-three spot in the women’s 100m hurdles, finishing a close fourth in a personal best 12.69. She was narrowly edged out for third by Amoi Brown, who clocked 12.67.

Reid, who claimed bronze in Cali in the women’s 200m and booked her first senior trip to the Olympic Games last year as a member of the women’s 4x100m relay team, finished sixth at Trials in 11.13.

Nkrumi, a silver medallist in Cali in the men’s 100m and the national junior record holder in the event with 9.99, was a finalist in the hotly contested men’s 100m, where he finished seventh in 10.09.

A strong core of athletes under 22 years of age is coming of age.