Both Bryan Levell and Ashanti Moore were surprised by their personal best performances in the men’s and women’s 200m sprints at the Istvan Gyulai Memorial in Budapest, Hungary yesterday.

Levell ran 19.69 seconds (-0.4m/s) to break the meeting record of 19.88 seconds set by American Erriyon Knighton in 2022, while Moore ran 22.31 seconds, lowering her previous best 22.40 seconds set last month.

Both athletes, who won their events at the National Senior Championships (Trials) in late June, were among three Jamaican winners at the event as Olympic Games silver medallist Kishane Thompson retained his men’s 100m title.

Levell, who also lowered his personal best in the 100m to 9.82 seconds on July 23, became the third-fastest Jamaican over the distance, only behind Usain Bolt’s world record 19.19 seconds set in 2009, when Levell was four years old, and Yohan Blake’s 19.26 seconds. It puts him ahead of 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Warren Weir’s 19.79 seconds.

“I didn’t expect to run this fast, especially with how my body’s been feeling, but I trusted God and my coach,” Levell says. “The key was to stay focused and execute well, and I think we did that today.”

Wayde Van Niekerk ran a season’s best 20.07 seconds to place second, and his fellow South African Benjamin Richardson placed third in 20.30 seconds.

Jamaican Adrian Kerr was sixth in 20.52 seconds, and compatriot Michael Campbell was seventh in 20.88 seconds.

Moore, who has recovered from an injury earlier this year and ran a personal best time of 10.94 seconds in the 100m less than a week ago, just edged former Nigerian representative Favour Ofili, as both were credited with the same time, with Great Britain’s Daryll Neita third in 22.37 seconds.

“I’m honestly surprised and incredibly grateful, I give all the glory to God,” Moore says. “It was a close, competitive race, but I just stayed focused and ran my own race to the finish. This season has had its ups and downs, but I trust in what’s to come. Whatever happens next, I’m ready.”

Thompson, who was racing in the individual 100m for the first time in over a month, clocked 9.95 seconds (-0.4m/s), powering his way to the finish line to beat Ghana’s Abduil-Rasheed Saminu and South Africa’s Akani Simbine, both of whom were timed at 10.01 seconds.

Jamaican Ackeem Blake was fourth in 10.04 seconds, Kadrian Goldson sixth in 10.08 seconds, and Rohan Watson seventh in 10.12 seconds.

Thompson described the race as “solid”, and explained he was still working on his technique.

“I came out today to work on some ‘battle techniques’, as I like to call them,” he says. “It didn’t feel great, but not bad either — just one of those days. No real issues, just taking it step by step. Now, I’m heading to Worlds with a positive mindset, aiming to give my best and go for gold.”

National women’s 100m champion, Tina Clayton was just edged at the line by Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith who ran 10.97 seconds (-0.4m/s) to her 10.99 seconds.

Shericka Jackson was third in 11.00 seconds, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, running for the first time since Trials, was fifth in 11.07 seconds while Krystal Sloley finished eighth in 11.28 seconds.

“It was a good race, and I’m grateful to finish injury-free,” Clayton says. “The result was solid, but there’s always room for improvement. When I’m back in training, my coach and I will focus on the parts of the race that need to work so we can keep progressing.”

Former Olympic champion Hansle Parchment lowered his season’s best for the third straight race when he clocked 13.24 seconds (0.2m/s) to finish second in the 110m hurdles, just beaten to the line by World Leader Cordel Tinch of the USA, who won in 13.20 seconds.

American Eric Edwards was third in 13.26 seconds while another Jamaican, Orlando Bennett, was fifth in 13.32 seconds.

Ackelia Smith had a chance to win the women’s long jump in the final round but had to settle for second with 6.67m (0.8m/s), beaten by American Claire Bryant -6.71m (0.4m/s) with another American Quanesha Burks third with 6.64m (0.0m/s).

National champion Rusheen McDonald is still short of the qualifying time for next month’s World Athletics Championships as he was fifth in the men’s 400m in 45.12 seconds.

McDonald who has a season’s best 44.89 seconds, is still short of the 44.85 seconds qualifying mark but is 39th in the World Ranking quota and could still make it to the World Championships by invitation.

The national record holder will have another chance this weekend at the NACAC Championships in Freeport, Bahamas to get the standard.

Three Jamaican men have qualified for the quarter-mile, defending champion Antonio Watson, Sean Bailey who was eighth in Budapest on Tuesday with 48.38 seconds, managing to complete the race after failing to so so the previous two occasions.

Bovel McPherson, who was a finalist at Trials, also has the qualifying standard.

Jamaica’s Bryan Levell celebrates after winning the men’s 200m event at the Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday. (Photo: AFP)