“My dream was to have the country (national) youth record and the junior world record, and I did that so it’s a big accomplishment and I am looking for bigger things coming on next year and the years to come.”

That was the sentiment of 18-year-old schoolboy Christopher Taylor moments after breaking the National Under-20 record in the men’s 400m final at the Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association (JAAA)/Supreme Ventures National Senior and Junior Athletics Championships on the final night of the championships on Sunday.

The decision made by the athlete and his coach to participate in the senior men’s event, instead of the Under-20 boys event was vindicated as Taylor won the final in a new personal best time and national age group record of 44.88 seconds, to the delight of the small crowd.

Taylor has been celebrated by many as one of the next Jamaican superstars who will emerge on the world stage, and he went a far way to vindicate those suggestions with an impressive run in which he got the better of former national champion Demish Gaye, who finished second in 45.23 seconds, and veteran Fitzroy Dunkley, who was third in 45.77 seconds.

Clearly not intimidated by his seniors, Taylor, who ran out of lane five, covered Dunkley in lane six on the backstretch while maintaining his lead by stagger over Gaye, who ran out of lane four, all the way through the final turn and into the home stretch. Gaye is known for his strong finish, but on this occasion was unable to cut into the lead of the teenager, who maintained his speed all the way to the line to claim his first senior national title.

“I came out here with one focus and that was to run a new personal best and a new national record for Under-20 and that’s what I did, so it’s a pretty amazing feeling,” Taylor said of his run.

While having his own personal reasons to go fast, Taylor had added motivation when his “main motivator” went down injured Saturday night.

“Yesterday (Saturday) I was a bit motivated after my main motivator (Javon Francis) went down, not with a serious injury but cramps. So that motivated me to come out here today (Sunday) and do it for both of us,” he revealed.

The World Junior Championships will take place next month in Tampere, Finland, and Taylor is already down to compete in the 200m. Whether or not he runs the 400m as well, is not yet decided.

“I haven’t decided as yet, we will decide later, but it will be soon,” he disclosed.

The Calabar High school star said it was “amazing” to finally dip below the 45-second barrier in his pet event.

“It’s an amazing feeling, knowing that coach has been telling me and I have been putting down a lot of 44 splits since season and I always put my mind to it saying that anything I split, I can do. So I came out here today and just delivered.”

Taylor’s performance at the National Championships will not come as a surprise to many, given his recent form where he won the men’s 200m at the Jamaica International Invitational and the men’s 400m at the Bermuda Invitational against quality fields.