Navasky Anderson, Jamaica’s record holder in the men’s 800m, and 200m runner Adrian Kerr on Saturday achieved the qualifying mark for the World Athletics Championships set for Tokyo, Japan in mid-September.

Anderson again broke the national record in the men’s 800m when he ran 1:44.40 minutes to win the two-lap event at the Sound Running Sunset Tour event held at the Jack Kemp Stadium in Los Angeles, United States.

He was pushed all the way to the finish line by Abe Alvarado who was second in 1:44.47, and Matti Erickson of the University of Oregon, who was third in a personal best 1:44.49.

Anderson, who was second at the national athletics championships in June, broke the 1:44.61 he set that same month. His effort on Saturday was under the World Championships qualifying mark of 1:44.50.

Anderson was breaking the national record for a fourth time since 2022. Then he ran 1:45.02 for second in the NCAA Division One outdoor championships at Hayward Field in Eugene while representing Mississippi State University.

Kerr, who was third in the 200m at the national championships, joined two-time national champion Bryan Levell as the qualifiers in the half-lap sprint when he placed second at the Ed Murphy Track Classic in Memphis in a personal best 20.09 seconds (1.8m/s).

American T’Mars McCallum, who represented the University of Tennessee, won with a world leading and personal best 19.73, tied for 20th best of all time.

Kerr’s previous best was 20.47 seconds set in March. His run on Saturday bettered the 20.16 seconds qualifying standard for the World Championships. He became the fastest wind-legal Jamaican in the event this season, under the 20.10 seconds run by Levell at the National Championships.

Kerr and Christopher Taylor were last week selected to represent Jamaica in the men’s 200m at the NACAC Senior Championships in Freeport, Bahamas, next month.

Also at the Ed Murphy meet, national champion Carey McLeod won the men’s long jump with 8.24m (0.3m/s), while his Jamaican compatriot Nikaoli Williams was sixth with 7.98m (0.6m/s).

Levell was just edged out in the Men’s 100m Professional race after he ran 10.07 (0.1m/s), the same time as winner Davonte Howell of the Cayman Islands. Ryiem Forde was third in 10.09.

In the ‘Pre-Program’ men’s 100m, DeAndre Daley clocked 10.15 (2.0m/s) and Kevaughn Rattray ran 10.42 (1.4m/s).

Leah Anderson was second in the women’s 200m Pro race, running 50.90 to finish behind American Britton Wilson who won her first race of the season in 50.54. Another American Talitha Diggs was third with 51.03, while Jamaica’s Joanne Reid sixth in 52.95 seconds.

Candice McLeod recorded 51.92 in the women’s 400m B race.

Tyrice Taylor came from well behind over the last 150 metres to place second in the men’s 800m race in 1:46.46. He was beaten to the finish line by Canada’s Abdullahi Hassan (1:46.16). American Sean Dolan was third with 1:46.52.

Yanique Thompson finished fourth in the 100m hurdles Professional race in a wind-aided 12.65 (2.1m/s), hours after she had run 12.81 (1.9m/s) in the B race.

Sanique Walker ran a personal best 55.30 for fourth place in the women’s 400m hurdles, lowering her time from the 55.38 set at the national championships.

Delano Kennedy was third in the men’s 400m Professional race in 45.00, behind 17-year-old American phenom Quincy Wilson who lowered his World Under-18 best to 44.10. Bryce Deadmon second in 44.39.

Earlier, Jamaica’s defending World Champion Antonio Watson won his heat of the men’s 400m with 45.24.

Samantha Hall was fourth in the women’s discus throw with 60.32m.

— Paul A Reid