KINGSTON, Jamaica – World Under-20 Championship gold medal winner, 18-year-old Jaydon Hibbert, broke the World Under-20 record and the Jamaican junior and senior marks after he jumped a gigantic 17.54m to win the men’s triple jump on Saturday’s final day of the NCAA Division 1 indoor championship in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

There were four Jamaican winners on the night, including a sweep of the men’s and women’s high jumps by Romaine Beckford of the University of South Florida, and Lamara Distin of Texas A&M University.

Ackera Nugent of The University of Arkansas won her second women’s 60m hurdles title.

Hibbert, who won the Jamaican senior championships last year as well as the CARIFTA Games Under-20 gold, needed just one jump before sitting back and watching the rest of the competition unfold.

The University of Arkansas freshman rewrote several record books in the process, passing his previous best of 17.10 set earlier this year, the World Under-20 indoor mark of 17.20m held by France’s Malvin Raffin since March 2017, the Jamaican senior record of 17.19m held by Clive Pullin since February 2017; the collegiate record 17.50m set by Charlie Simpkins that lasted 37 years since 1986, and the meet record 17.37m set in 2015 by Marquis Dendy.

Former Cornwall College athlete Owayne Owens of the University of Virginia was third with a personal best of 16.69m that came in the final round, while long jump champion Carey McLeod was sixth with 16.35m;

Apalos Edwards of LSU was 11th with 16.17m and Luke Brown of Kentucky 12th, also with 16.17m.

Nugent, who won her first title as a freshman while attending Baylor University and who broke the Jamaican national indoor record on Friday with 7.72 seconds, ran 7.73 seconds to beat Kentucky’s Masai Russell’s 7.75 seconds while a second Jamaican, Demisha Roswell of Texas Tech, was fifth with 8.00m.

Beckford, who was 15th in the Indoor championships last year and 13th at the NCAA Outdoors, redeemed himself by winning the men’s high jump with 2.24m.

Distin retained her indoor title with 1.91m while Daniella Anglin of South Dakota was 13th with 1.77m.

Ackelia Smith of the University of Texas, who was second in the women’s long jump on Friday, placed third in the triple jump with 14.29m while Tarees Rhoden of Clemson was fourth in the men’s 800m in 1:47.35 seconds.

Navasky Anderson of Mississippi State, who crossed the line first in 1:45.90 seconds, was later disqualified on World Athletics rule 7.5-3a ‘flagrant impeding’.

– Paul A Reid