Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Jason Morgan threw a massive life time best 68.19m to retain his discus throw title at the Peak Performance Track Classic in Pearl, Mississippi on Saturday to take over as the world leader in the event.

The mark is well above the 65.00m qualifying mark for this summer’s IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China and makes it three Jamaicans who have achieved the mark. Fedric Dacres, who was the world leader earlier with his 66.40m done in Kingston on March 21, and Chad Wright who threw 65.03m in La Jolla, California on April 25, have also gone over the qualifying mark.

Morgan, who was third at the IAAF Continental Cup at Marrakesh, Morocco last year, told the Jamaica Observer on Saturday, he had overcome a shoulder injury that had prevented him from training and described his big throw as “a story of redemption”.

Morgan, who throw over a metre above his previous personal best 67.15m that he achieved at a meet in Monroe, Louisiana in May 2012, and if ratified by the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA), will be the new national record, beating the 67.12m done by Traves Smikle at the National Senior Trials at the National Stadium in 2012.

Morgan’s 67.15m was never ratified by the JAAA as president Dr Warren Blake said then it could not be accepted as a national record as no drug testing had been carried out at the meet in Louisiana.

“God know this feel like a redemption story to me,” said Morgan. “I wanted my record that was snatched from me. I never give up. I cried two different times today (Saturday) because people see and they don’t have a clue, but I just give God thanks and keep working hard honestly,” he noted.

On Saturday, Morgan who jumped from 26th in the world to the top of the pile, replacing Germany’s Christoph Harting who had the two longest throws 67.53m and his personal best 67.93m, both in May, said he had been pain free for two weeks before the meet.

“I hurt my shoulder couple months ago (and I) couldn’t train or lift good. I was afraid to be aggressive and attack my block. It’s just now that I am not feeling any pain for the past two weeks, and I had to practice not to be afraid to use the shoulder and start hit some 65-67-metre throws in practice.”

Without a sponsor or financial help, Morgan said he had to do some self-medicating. “I had to treat my injury, I did the treatment and rehab. I tore a muscle in my shoulder, but I iced it and pray over it every day; I work and train on it when I could, but I had to just push through and stay determined,” he explained.

Additionally, he said he regained his confidence and has been working on being patient during his throws and his flexibility.

— Paul Reid