Olympic champion Omar McLeod and Commonwealth Games winner Danniel Thomas-Dodd continued their build-up to the Jamaican National Senior Track and Field Championships with good wins yesterday while also producing season-best performances.

McLeod won the 110m hurdles at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games at the stadium named in her honour in Hengelo, Holland, while Thomas-Dodd won the women’s shot put at the Music City Track Carnival at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

At the USA Track & Field (USATF) Showcase held at Prairie View A&M Stadium, Prairie View, Texas, Ryan Brown won the men’s long jump with a personal best 8.04m (0.0m/s), the fifth Jamaican man to go over the 8.00m mark outdoor this year.

McLeod, who only ran the first round of the 110m hurdles at a meet in Jacksonville, Florida, on Monday, clocking 13.16 seconds, was in fine form yesterday, gliding his way to a season’s best 13.08 seconds (1.7m/s), easily beating the American Devon Allen with 13.32 seconds as Frenchman Wilhem Belocian took third in 13.34 seconds.

The many-time Jamaican champion and national record holder was happy with his performance. “I am very happy with my race, it is my first time in Hengelo and I really wanted to come here and have fun and put on a show. It feels really good to be out here entertaining again, we all know the year we had last year, so having this opportunity again means a lot to me and I don’t take it for granted.”

Asked about the pressure he was undergoing heading into the Olympics as the defending champion, the Florida-based McLeod said, “Pressure is a privilege, and I am blessed to be in that situation, I just need to keep trusting the process, trusting my coach and stay healthy and I am going there to defend my title.”

In the women’s 100m hurdles, Megan Tapper was fifth with 13.05 seconds (0.5m/s).

Thomas-Dodd threw 19.26m to win at the American Track League meet in Tennessee, with her big throw coming in her final attempt after she led from the second round.

Her mark beat the 19.17m she had set in her opening outdoor meet in Miramar, Florida, a month ago, while Lloydricia Cameron was fourth with a best mark of 17.57m.

At the meet in Texas, Brown, who attended St Catherine High and G C Foster Sports College, then moving to Lincoln University in Missouri before finishing his college career at University of Arkansas, surpassed his previous best of 7.92m set in Jamaica in 2018.

He became the 18th Jamaican man to jump over 8.00m all times outdoors and is tied with former Wolmer’s Boys’ jumper Julian Reid on the all-time Jamaican list.

World Championships finalists Damar Forbes was second with a season’s best 7.97m (04m/s).

Shadae Lawrence, who improved on her national record a few weeks ago, was second in the women’s shot put with a best mark of 62.48m, getting just two legal throws as her last four were all fouls.

Jahnoy Thompson, formerly of Manchester High and who completed his college career at Louisiana State University, ran a personal best 10.49 seconds (1.9m/s) for fourth place and had a season’s best 20.79 seconds (1.8m/s) for second place in the 200m.

Javon Francis was third in the men’s 400m with 46.05 seconds, while Ivan Henry finished ninth overall with a season’s best 47.20 seconds.

In the women’s hammer throw, Kadine Johnson was eighth with 57.79m.

At the Music City Track Carnival, Olympic finalists Leah Nugent secured an Olympic qualifying mark after she ran a season’s best 55.34 seconds, the fourth-fastest by a Jamaican woman this year.

World Championships silver medallist Sydney McLaughlin ran a world-leading 52.83 seconds in her first outing over the hurdles in two years.

Christopher Taylor also had a season’s best 45.67 seconds for second place in the men’s 400m, behind Steven Gardiner of The Bahamas who won with 45.06 seconds.

Jevaughn Minzie finished fourth in the men’s 100m final in 10.41 seconds (-0.5m/s), after running 10.45 seconds (-1.6m/s) in the first round.