Newly crowned national 100m champion Tina Clayton delivered the performance of her career, blazing to a personal best (PB) of 10.81 seconds to claim her first senior national title at the National Stadium on Friday.

However, what should have been a night of double celebration quickly turned bittersweet, as her twin sister Tia, who ran 10.86 to win her semi-final a few hours earlier, and who was one of the favourites for the title, pulled up injured just metres from the finish line in the final.

Tina, a two-time World Under-20 champion, shattered her previous PB 10.95 seconds, yet the excitement of her milestone achievement was tempered by the heartbreak of seeing her sister’s dream fall apart.

“It was a very sad moment because I wanted both of us to make the team, it was a dream,” an emotional Tina shared after the race. “The fact that it was my time making the final, I was like, ‘It’s possible.’ But they always say track and field is a very ungrateful sport, and things happen. So we give and take. I still have to give God the glory.”

Shericka Jackson was second in a season’s best 10.88, while third went to the veteran Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 10.91.

Tina admitted she was fighting back tears after the race, acknowledging the mix of triumph and sorrow within her.

“I am feeling good. I am very emotional, I am trying to keep back the tears,” she said.

Despite the emotional blow, Tina’s confidence remains unshaken, and she says that has always been key to her success.

“The confidence is always there, to be honest,” she said. “And like I always say, keep the confidence and let nobody belittle your confidence. For me, my confidence is always sky-high, even if I know that I am not a hundred per cent.”

While the 10.81 clocking came as a surprise, Tina credited her recent training form for giving her belief that a breakthrough was coming.

“No, I didn’t expect this time,” she said. “But based on how I was going in training, I knew that I would PB, but not that fast.”

She also paid tribute to her support system, highlighting the role of Tia, not only as family, but also as a motivator and key training partner.

“Everybody knows that I have another half, and she is not just a twin, she is my training partner, she’s a motivator,” Tina said. “I trained with her and she pushed me. And I have two other friends, shout-out to Krystal Sloley and Shana Kaye Anderson, because they always keep us grounded and help to push us to do better.”