In a stunning upset, Rohan Watson of MVP Track Club emerged as the unexpected victor in the men’s 100m at the National Senior and Junior Championships at the National Stadium on Friday night.
Watson delivered a powerful performance, crossing the finish line in an impressive new personal best time of 9.91 seconds. Adding to the surprise, Ryiem Forde, representing Adidas, secured second place with a time of 9.96, also a new personal best, while Oblique Seville, renowned as Jamaica’s premier male sprinter and a fourth-place finisher at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, settled for third place, also with a time of 10.00 seconds.
Akeem Blake, the fastest Jamaican male this season with an impressive 9.89, could only manage fourth place in 10.01 seconds. Unfortunately, Blake’s performance dashed his hopes of representing Jamaica in the men’s 100m event at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The championships, set to conclude on Sunday, are serving as the Jamaica Trials for upcoming international competitions.
Senior athletes are fiercely contending for coveted spots to represent the country at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, scheduled to take place from August 19 to 27.
Alongside selecting the team for the World Athletics Championships, the Jamaica trials will also determine the composition of the squads for three junior competitions. These competitions include the NACAC Under-18 and Under-23 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica (July 21-23), the Pan American Under-20 Athletics Championships in Puerto Rico (August 4-6), and the Under-18 Commonwealth Youth Games in Port of Spain, Trinidad (August 6-9).
