Tia Clayton (left) from MVP Track Club outbattles Shashalee Forbes of Sprintec in heat three of the women’s 100m at the Velocity Fest 14 meet at National Stadium in Kingston on Saturday, March 16, 2024. Clayton won in a big personal best 11.13 seconds. (PHOTO: Marlon Reid).
Tia Clayton from MVP Track Club scorched to a new personal best of 11.13 seconds (1.0 metres per second) on her way to winning heat three of the women’s 100m at the ongoing Velocity Fest 14 meet at the National Stadium in Kingston.
Clayton surpassed her previous best of 11.23 seconds, which she achieved twice, to edge out Shashalee Forbes of Sprintec at the finish line. The 19-year-old Clayton first ran 11.23 seconds on June 3, 2023, at the National Stadium and then equalled it two months later in Italy.
Forbes finished second with a season-best time of 11.16, while Krystal Sloley of University of Technology took third place in 11.42 seconds.
Clayton and Forbes will enter the final later with the two fastest times from the three heats.
Remona Burchell of Sprintec, winner of the first heat in 11.33, holds the third-best time heading into the final, followed by Sloley’s 11.42.
Jura Levy of Legacy Track Club, who won heat one in 11.63, has the fifth-fastest time.
The final is set to begin at 7:43 pm.
Meanwhile, Shawn-D Thompson from Sprintec claimed victory in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.70m, beating Tajay Gayle of MVP Track Club, the 2019 World Championships winner, who achieved a distance of 7.64m. Aubrey Allen of Legacy Track Club took third place with a jump of 7.31m.
