On Thursday, reigning champions Roshawn Clarke and Janieve Russell successfully navigated the semi-final rounds of the men’s and women’s 400m hurdles to secure their places in the finals scheduled for Friday at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) National Championships held at the National Stadium.
Clarke, who holds the national record and finished fourth at the World Championships last year, won his heat with a time of 49.06 seconds. However, Malik James-King outperformed all qualifiers, finishing his heat in an impressive 48.39 seconds.
In the men’s category, veteran athlete Roxroy Cato, at 36 years old, matched his personal best of 48.42 seconds, which he achieved earlier this month. Jaheel Hyde also performed admirably, clocking in at 48.45 seconds.
On the women’s side, Janieve Russell, who has been the National Champion for the past three years, looked in excellent form, recording her season’s best time of 54.00 seconds. Andrenette Knight achieved a personal best with her time of 54.09 seconds, while Rushell Clayton, a two-time World Championships bronze medallist, finished her heat in 54.54 seconds.
Other qualifiers included Ronda White with a time of 55.77 seconds, Shiann Salmon at 56.49 seconds, and Gabrielle Matthews, a National Collegiate Athletic Association finalist, who clocked in at 56.95 seconds.
