Andrew Hudson repeats as national 200m champion

Andrew Hudson, who changed his allegiance to Jamaica last year after previously competing for the USA, successfully defended his title in the men's 200m at the National Senior and Junior Championships at the National Stadium on Sunday night.

Hudson delivered an impressive performance, crossing the finish line comfortably in a season-best time of 20.11 seconds to achieve the qualifying standard for next month's World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Rasheed Dwyer from Sprintec Track Club secured second place with a time of 20.26 seconds, just below his season-best. Tyquendo Tracey from Swept Track Club finished third in 20.48 seconds.

Yohan Blake, aiming to make up for his disappointment in the 100m event, finished in a disappointing fourth place with a time of 20.51 seconds.

The second-fastest man of all time over the distance will miss the World Championships.

In other finals on Sunday, Natoya Goule-Toppin claimed her ninth national championships title in the women's 800m race, crossing the finish line with a time of 1:58.89. She comfortably outpaced Adelle Tracey, who achieved a season-best time of 2:01.11, securing second place. Jessica McLean from Clemson University secured the third spot with a time of 2:05.76.

In the men's 800m event, Rajay Hamilton earned his first national title, completing the race in 1:47.28 minutes. Navasky Anderson, the current national record holder and the 2022 champion, finished second with a time of 1:47.67. Tyrese Reid from Mississippi State University took the third position, clocking in at 1:48.45. Unfortunately, none of the top three athletes were able to meet the qualifying standard of 1:44.70 for the World Championships.

Gnea Pitt, representing G.C. Foster College, emerged victorious in the women's javelin throw with a distance of 45.03m. Thaila Wilson from San Diego State University secured second place with a throw of 44.03m. Notably, only two competitors participated in the event.

Elvis Graham, also from G.C. Foster College, triumphed in the men's javelin throw with a distance of 74.19m. He surpassed Zaavan Richards (70.91m) and Gabriel Lim (65.98)  from Jamaica College, who finished second and third, respectively.

Rajindra Campbell claimed the men's shot put title with a throw of 21.04m. He outperformed Roje Stona from the University of Arkansas (18.96m) and O'Dayne Richards from MVP Track Club (18.52m), who secured the second and third positions, respectively.

The top three athletes in each event will qualify for the World Athletics Championships, provided they have met the required world standard of 20.16 seconds. Only Hudson has so far achieved the standard.

In addition to determining the team for the World Athletics Championships, the Jamaica trials will also select the squads for three junior competitions. These competitions include the NACAC Under-18 and Under-23 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica (July 21-23), the Pan American Under-20 Athletics Championships in Puerto Rico (August 4-6), and the Under-18 Commonwealth Youth Games in Port of Spain, Trinidad (August 6-9).