TWENTY-seven-year-old Jamaican Alain Bailey, a University of Arkansas senior, has kept up his fairytale outdoor season winning his third consecutive Southeastern Conference (SEC) Outdoor title Saturday when he leapt a world-leading and personal best 8.35 metres (27ft 4.75in) to win the long jump in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“I had to do it, I had to get the win for my team,” Bailey said. “I am so happy to get this big personal best and win the SEC title. I knew my team needed 10 points from me and that’s what I set out to do.”

Bailey, who is also the NCAA and SEC leader this season, has now won his sixth career SEC title, which also includes indoor and outdoor competitions and his exploits in the high jump.

The Kingston College past student clinched the SEC long jump title on his final attempt Saturday to become the 62nd best jumper in history and remain number two on the Jamaica all-time list after James Beckford, who holds the national record of 8.62 metres.

A 2006 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) junior champion, Bailey has now posted five marks over eight metres, two of them indoors. In 2008, he won the SEC Outdoor for the first time with 7.94 metres, and added the second title with 7.84 metres last year.

Surpassing his previous best of 8.21 metres set last year to win the national title, Bailey, on the strength of his 10 best legal long jumps, has upped his average to 8.02 metres per jump.