Having shattered his personal best by over one second in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational on Saturday, the improving Malik James-King is confident that he still has a lot more left in his tank and declared that he is aiming to run much faster this season.

James-King, 24, stunned a competitive field, winning the event convincingly with a lifetime best of 48.39 seconds, erasing his previous best time of 49.66. Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands, the 2023 World Athletics Championships silver medallist in the event, finished second in 49.00, while third place went to James-King’s compatriot Jaheel Hydel in 49.48.

Coached by Gregory Little at the Titans Track Club, James-King was at a loss for words at the end of Saturday’s race after surprising even himself with the impressive time and improvement.

“Words can’t express how I am feeling right now about my performance,” said James-King. “I just did what my coach told me to do, so I went out there and executed a perfect race. I have been training really hard for this, so I gave it my all.”

“I knew this day would come for me because I have been through a lot in my career, so I am happy to show everyone what I am made of with this performance,” James-King added.

He is now the fastest Jamaican over the distance this season and the fifth fastest man in the world this year, behind the world leader Alison Dos Santos of Brazil, who has a time of 46.86 seconds.

The former Calabar standout athlete noted that he has been working diligently over the past couple of years to improve his times in the 400m and 400m hurdles, respectively, and is pleased that his efforts are finally paying off.

“I have been working on my flat 400 metres from last year until now, so I know once my 400m speed improves, my 400 metres hurdles will eventually get better,” he said. “I have a lot more to work on, so I am going back to the drawing board and listening to my coach, Gregory Little, because I have to thank him for everything.”

James-King admitted that Saturday’s performance is a major confidence boost, and that he is now looking to continue improving as he heads into the National Championships next month with the objective of making his first Olympic team.

“I think with preparation and focus, I can go a lot faster this season because the aim is to make the Olympic team this year,” James-King said. “This will certainly improve my confidence a lot more going forward, and there is a lot more to expect from me this season. I am honestly surprised, but I was expecting to run 48, but I didn’t know 48 what, so 48.39 is a good time, honestly.”