KINGSTON, Jamaica— Malik James-King celebrated his 25th birthday with a stunning upset win over national record and World Championships finalist Roshawn Clarke to capture the men’s 400m hurdles title on Friday’s second day of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s (JAAA) National Championships, running a massive personal best 47.42 seconds, beating his previous best 48.39 seconds set last month.

James-King caught and passed Clarke at the ninth hurdle and ran away from the field as he jumped an amazing nine spots on the Jamaican all time rankings, only behind Clarke’s national record 47.34 seconds set at the World Athletics Championships last year.

The former Calabar High runner also improved to fifth place in the world.

Clarke had to settle for second with a season’s best 48.04 seconds while the resilient Jaheel Hyde was third in 48.35 seconds, also a season’s best.

Earlier, two-time World Championships bronze medallist Rushell Clayton ran a big personal best to crush the field in the women’s 400m hurdles, running 52.51 seconds, the second fastest ever by a Jamaican woman, behind Melainie Walker’s national record 52.42 seconds and passed Kaliese Spencer’s 52.79 seconds.

Rushell Clayton wins the women’s 400m hurdles in 52.51 seconds (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

Clayton’s time was also the second best this season so far and beat her previous best 52.81 set last year at World Champs.

Janieve Russell, who had won the three previous nationals titles, was second in a season’s best 53.33 seconds and Shiann Salmon third, also in a season’s best 53.71 seconds.

-Paul A Reid