BUDAPEST, Hungary — Antonio Watson fired a salvo as he attempts to become Jamaica’s second World Championships men’s 400m gold medallist and first since Bertland Cameron won the first title in 1983 after running a massive personal best 44.13 seconds in the semi-finals on Tuesday to lead all qualifiers into tomorrow’s final of the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre here.

After running 44.77 seconds to win his first-round race, Watson dropped the hammer with the third-fastest time ever by a Jamaican man, only behind Rusheen McDonald’s national record 43.93 seconds and Akeem Bloomfield’s 43.94 seconds, lowering his own 44.54 seconds set in the final at the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) national championships in July.

Watson and national champion Sean Bailey, who was second in his semi-final, will carry Jamaica’s hopes in the final, a first for both, which appears wide open, with no clear favourite.

Jamaica’s third participant Zanrion Barnes failed to get past the semi-finals after he ran 45.38 seconds for sixth in his race.

Meanwhile, national men’s 800m record holder Nevasky Anderson was disqualified for causing obstruction in his first-round race on Tuesday.

Anderson, who only qualified for the championships on the final day of the qualification period, had not advanced to the next round after he was fifth in his race in 1:45.81 minutes.

Meanwhile, Watson, who moved up to number five in the world ranking, just behind world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk of South Africa, who he beat on Tuesday, said he was just as surprised by his time.

“I did not see that coming,” he told reporters. “I just went out there and executed as I have been doing throughout the season, using the information and strategy from coach [Glen] Mills,” he said.

Watson said facing Van Neikerk was surreal as “he is someone I idolised, but I always say once were are out there, we are level on the battlefield, so[I] just did may part”.

Watson beat American Vernon Norwood who ran a life time best 44.26 seconds for second, while Van Niekerk qualified on time after he was third in 44.65 seconds.

The former Petersfield High runner admitted he had not fully digested his new personal best, his third of the season. “It’s a great feeling, but it has not soaked in yet, maybe later it will and I will celebrate.”

Bailey improved from his first-round execution and said, “You can expect my best in the finals, and I am just going back, looking at the clips from the heat and the semis, and see what we can do better — clean it up!”

He was not happy with the final part of the race though, saying, “I’m not finishing like I normally finish, so me and my coach will have a talk and see what’s going on here.”

Bailey is not counting himself out of the medals, however.

“I feel like I’ve been counted out before. I think I have a pretty good chance [to medal]. My mind is right, I’m ready, I’m confident anything can happen in the final.”