The National Championships began with a shock result in the high jump but blossomed into a night for sprint fans to enjoy. 4-time World 100 champion Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce lifted patrons out her their seats at the National Stadium on June 23 with a stunning run in the first round — 10.70 seconds.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce after her 10.70,100m performance on Day 1 National Champs 2022.
One race after double-double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah cruised 11.06 seconds to win her 100m heat, Fraser-Pryce hit the gas and powered home in a time that matched her 2012 national record on the same track in the same venue. Brianna Williams gave chase until the 80m mark when she eased off, clocking 10.98.
Kemba Nelson and an easy-looking Shericka Jackson, the Olympic bronze medallist, strolled across the line in the next heat, with 10.98 and 10.99 respectively.
The men’s heats were just as intriguing. Oblique Seville looked right and left before shutting off in 9.98 seconds in heat one before 2011 World champion Yohan Blake posted a 9.93 in heat 2.
Oblique Seville after his casual 9.98, 100m performance on Day 1 of the National Champs, 2022.
Heat three finished with Conroy Jones, Ackeem Blake and Oshane Bailey side by side with times of 10.00, a personal best for Jones, 10.01 for Blake and Bailey in a long-awaited personal best of 10.03.
The early shock came in the high jump when new national record holder Lamara Distin exited with three misses at 1.88 metres. That left Kimberly Williamson, the 2019 Pan-American bronze medallist, to take her 7th national title.
In the Under 20 competition, there was a big performance in the discus. Carifta champion Cedricka Williams has been in pursuit of Shanice Love’s national junior record of 54.72m all season. She came close in round 3 when she set a personal best of 54.28 and with her next throw, she destroyed both that mark and Love’s record with an impressive hurl of 56.21 metres.
She is now joint number 2 on the 2022 World Athletics under 20 performance list.