Jamaica won medals at the last World Championships in the men’s long jump, the women’s shot put, the men’s discus and the women’s discus in Doha. Day 3 of the National Championships put those events under the National Stadium spotlight but with mixed results. Defending long jump World champion Tajay Gayle limped out of the competition but Doha silver medallists Shanieka Ricketts and Danniel Thomas-Dodd both emerged as winners.

Gayle managed a season’s best distance of 7.97m before incurring what seemed to be a knee injury but encouragingly left the competition area under his own power. He finished second to NCAA indoor and outdoor champion Wayne Pinnock, whose best effort of 8.14m is short of the World qualifying standard of 8.22m.

Hampered by a pesky headwind, Ricketts three-bounced to 14.27m to best long jump winner Ackelia Smith, 13.93m. Doha’s 4th placer and two-time Commonwealth champion Kimberly Williams was third with a mark of 13.28m. Thomas-Dodd was untouchable with big efforts in round two — 18.79m — and round six — 18.76m. No one else was over 17m.

With the 2019 World discus throw runner-up, Fedrick Dacres out with injury, 2017 World finalist Traves Smikle continued his fine 2022 form. The smooth lefthander reached 65.73m in round three to outdistance 2021 NCAA silver medallist Roje Stona, with the island’s first Olympic finalist Chad Wright conjuring up a season’s best 63.30m in third.

On the track, qualifying in the 200m, 400m and the sprint hurdles made fans think about the possibilities for the fourth and last day of the Nationals. Yohan Blake followed his win in the 100 on Friday with the fastest time in the 200 heats at 20.20 seconds. On the women’s side, double-double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, 2018 Commonwealth silver medallist Shericka Jackson and 2013 World champion Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce easily won the qualifying races. Fraser Pryce led on the clock, with an easy looking 22.54 seconds.

Charokee Young, 2nd earlier in June at the NCAA Championships, looked solid in the 400m at 50.19 seconds to lead all qualifiers for today’s final where she will face World Indoor bronze medallist Stephennie-Ann McPherson, fellow NCAA finalist Stacey-Ann Williams and Olympic finalist Candice McLeod. On the men’s side, Jevaughn Powell came from far back to win semi-final 1 in 45.38 seconds and Anthony Cox sprinted to a personal best of 45.43 seconds to win semi-final 2.

The buzz inside the Stadium kept ticking once the hurdles were erected in front of the grandstand. Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper ran crisply to a time of 12.60 seconds, her fastest of the 2022 campaign, in the first section and then Britany Anderson scared her personal best — 12.40 in the 2021 Olympic semis – with a controlled display of precise hurdling that ended 12.45 seconds after it started. 2015 World Champion Danielle Williams was second in 12.69 seconds.

Olympic champions Hansle Parchment and Omar McLeod both won their prelims, Parchment coolly legging a time of 13.24 seconds in heat 1 and McLeod accelerating away from some mid-race traffic to cross the line in 13.34 seconds. The third section was a real race, with 2019 semi-finalist Orlando Bennett matching his lifetime best — 13.27 seconds — to edge Rasheed Broadbell, 13.29.