KINGSTON, Jamaica – Christopher Taylor and Alana Reid in the 200m and Sanique Walker in the women’s 400m hurdles all won their first national titles on Sunday’s fourth and final day of the JAAA national championships, securing their places on Jamaica’s team for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in late July.

Taylor just got the better of Jevaughn Powell as the two battled over the final 60 metres after separating from the field, winning in a wind-aided 20.08 seconds (2.5m/s). Powell was timed in 20.14 seconds, with former 400m hurdles champion Roshawn Clarke taking third in 20.28 seconds.

Alana Reid

Reid, the national junior 100m record holder and world under-20 100m champion, atoned for her seventh place finish in Friday’s 100m with a massive personal best 22.29 seconds (1.0m/s), down from her previous best of 22.89 seconds.

Lavanya Williams, who was sixth in the 100m, was second in the 200n in a spanking new lifetime best 22.44 seconds from her previous best 23.09 seconds, with last year’s winner Ashanti Moore taking third place with a season’s best 22.45 seconds.

Walker also lowered her lifetime best to 54.56 seconds as she ran away from the field to win the women’s 400m hurdles, comfortably ahead of Shiann Salmon who ran a season’s best 55.56 seconds with Edwin Allen schoolgirl Kelly-Ann Carr third with 58.30 seconds.
-Paul A Reid