National record holder Roshawn Clarke and former World Championships medallist Rushell Clayton rose to the occasion and delivered the men’s and women’s 400m hurdles, respectively, in season’s best times at the JAAA/Puma National Senior Championships at the National Stadium on Saturday.

All six medallists, the top three in each race, booked their places on the team to compete at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, as they all achieved the qualifying standard.

After being beaten in last year’s final, Clarke produced a season’s best 48.02 seconds, sixth best in the world, to win his second title in three years.

Assinie Wilson was second in 48.42 seconds, also his season’s best time, while last year’s winner, Malik James-King got the bronze on his birthday, running 48.49 seconds.

Clayton, last year’s champion, produced her best when it mattered most, running 53.81 seconds, ahead of pre-championship favourite Andrenette Knight (54.52 seconds) and Shiann Salmon was third in 54.65 seconds.

Tyrice Taylor and Kelly-Ann Beckford were first-time senior champions as they won the men’s and women’s 800m titles, respectively.

Taylor ran a well-judged race to win the men’s 800m title, his first national senior championships in 1:45.26 minutes.

Taylor was well back on the final curve, but rallied down the home stretch to edge national record holder Navasky Anderson (1:46.03 seconds), with 1500m champion Dylan DeCambre third in a personal best 1:47.56 minutes.

St Vincent and the Grenadines’ (SVG) Handal Roban, a former Jamaica College athlete, ran 1:45.31 minutes and Brian Kewyie, a student-athlete at Clemson University, who led after 700m, ran 1:46.09 minutes.

Beckford was the first Jamaican across the line in the women’s 800m, running a personal best 2:00.23, quickening her previous best of 2:00.70 set last year.

She finished behind Shafiqua Maloney of SVG, who was a guest, as her county does not have a championships.

Natoya Goule-Toppin, who left the track on a stretcher, was second in 2:00.97, only the second time she had ever lost at the national championships.

Atlanta-based Gabrielle Wilkinson was third in 2:01.75 , while 1500m champion Adelle Tracey was fourth.

The stage has been set for an exciting 110m hurdles final today after some fast times were run in Saturday’s semi-finals.

Demario Prince just missed his personal best 13.18 seconds set earlier this year when he ran 13.20 seconds (0.2m/s) to lead the qualifiers, followed by Tyler Mason, who ran a season’s best 13.22 seconds, with Olympic Games medallist Rasheed Broadbell next with 13.27 seconds.

Orlando Bennett is also through with a season’s best 13.24 seconds, followed by former Olympic gold medallist Hansle Parchment, who equalled his season’s best 13.32 seconds, and Jerome Campbell (13.33).

Jahiem Stern lowered his personal best to 13.27 seconds to get into the final.

Olympic Games bronze medallist Megan Tapper equalled her season’s best 12.50 seconds (-0.7m/s) in the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles, beating defending World Athletics Championship gold medalist Danielle Williams (12.76).

Last year’s winner and national record holder Ackera Nugent also ran 12.76 seconds (-0.8m/s) to win her semi-final heat and will be accompanied by World Under-20 champion Kerrica Hill (12.77 ), Demisha Rosewell (12.89) and Janela Spencer (13.03) as the automatic qualifiers.

Amoi Brown and Yanique Thompson also advanced on time.

Christopher Taylor led the qualifiers to the finals of the men’s 200m when he ran a season’s best 20.50m seconds (-1.4m/s).

Taylor, who just missed qualifying for Friday’s final of the men’s 100m, looked in good form as he won his semi-final heat ahead of Kadrian Goldson, who also advanced with 20.76 seconds.

Defending champion and pre-championship favourite Bryan Levell had the second-best time after he also won his heat in 20.51 seconds (-1.5m/s) ahead of Tyquendo Tracey (20.79), while Adrian Kerr (20.75) (-0.1m/s) and Odaine Crooks (20.79) qualified from the first heat.

Ashanti Moore ran 22.92 seconds (-2.8m/s) in her first 200m race of the season to lead the qualifiers into the women’s 200m final.

Moore, who was seventh in the 100m final on Friday, easily won her heat ahead of Gabrielle Matthews, who ran 23.28 seconds and also qualified.

Roneisha McGregor (23.37), Kemba Nelson (23.39), and Jodean Williams (23.42) also won their heat and grabbed an automatic qualifying spot, while Neisha Burgher (23.45) and Briana Williams (23.54) also advanced.

Carey McLeod retained his men’s long jump title with 8.16m (1.0m/s), beating Shawn-D Thompson (7.84m) (-0.3m/s) and Nikaoli Williams (7.82m) (1.3m/s).

Olympic Games and World Championships medallist Shanieka Ricketts won a consecutive seventh women’s triple jump title after jumping 14.52m (-0.3m/s) on Saturday.

Ricketts was forced to come from behind after Ackelia Smith took the lead in the first round with a season’s best 14.44m (1.3m/s) and took the lead in the fifth round with her best mark.

Smith, who won the women’s long jump on Thursday, took only two jumps.

Kimberly Williams was third with a season’s best 13.80m (-2.5m/s).

Ralford Mullings lived up to expectations when he won the men’s discus throw with 65.82m.

Mullings, who won the NCAA Division One Outdoor championships earlier this month, is the leading Jamaican so far this season and improved on his third-place finish last year.

National record holder Fedrick Dacres was second with 63.54m, and Olympic Games finalist Chad Wright was third with 62.53m.

Danniel Thomas-Dodd won a 10-straight women’s shot put national title when she threw 18.33m.

Thomas-Dodd, the Commonwealth Games champion in 2018 in Australia, had two throws of at least 18.00m before fouling her final three attempts.

Lloydricia Cameron was second with 17.24m, coming in the second round, and Rochele Solomon placed third with 13.70m.

Rushell Clayton (left) beats Andrenette Knight (centre) and Shiann Salmon to the line to claim the women’s 400m hurdles title at the JAAA/Puma National Senior Championships at the National Stadium on Saturday. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)