KINGSTON, Jamaica– Shawn-D Thompson produced a personal best of 8.15m (-0.5m/s) to win the men’s long jump at the Motonet GP Lappeenranta Kimpisen Stadion in Finland a World Athletics Continental Tour- Challenger meet on Wednesday.

Thompson, who was fourth at the recent JAAA National Championships at the national stadium, surpassed his previous best of 8.13m set in 2019 and was one of two Jamaican winners at the meet as Demar Murray won the men’s 400m.

Thompson, who won the event at a meet in the Czech Republic on Saturday, had fouled his first two jumps before producing the best legal jump of his career. He also had two other jumps measuring 8.07m.

Finnish athlete Otto Pulkkinen was second with a personal best 7.72m (-0.6m/s) with American Jason Smith third with 7.63m.

Murray ran 50.53 seconds to win the men’s 400m, back-to-back wins for him after he also won in the Czech Republic over the weekend, beating Justin Rose of Canada who ran 50.79 seconds and Leo Kohldorfer of Austria who was third in 50.81 seconds.

Former national champion Oshane Bailey finished second in the men’s 100m, running 10.30 seconds (1.8m/s). He was beaten by Earl Simmonds of St Vincent and the Grenadines who ran 10.15 seconds with Finland’s Riku Illukka third in 10.32 seconds.

In the first round, Bailey had also finished second in 10.39 seconds (0.9m/s) behind Oskars Grava of Latvia who ran 10.37 seconds.

-Paul A Reid