Powell a cinch for 400m title

JAMAICA'S men have struggled in the 400 metres this season and only two, Jevaughn Powell with a personal best 44.54 seconds and Sean Bailey with 44.93, have dipped under the 45 seconds barrier ahead of next week's JAAA/Puma National Junior and Senior Championships.

Powell, who ended third in the event at the recent NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships, showed good form when he had the fastest split for the Jamaica 4x400m relay team in the Bahamas, as they attempted to get into the top 16 for the Paris Olympic Games.

Powell will be seeking his second national title in three years, after being successful in 2021. At last year's championships, he was third behind Sean Bailey and Antonio Watson.

Bailey has had a quiet season so far but he will be hoping to successfully defend his title, despite being ranked behind Powell going into the championships.

After a big upset at last year's Budapest World Championships, when he won the world title in 44.22 seconds, local fans were hopeful that Antonio Watson would carry that form into the 2024 season. However, he has been troubled by injury this year and his season's best is 45.61. Without improvement he could struggle to be among the top three finishers in the event.

Reheem Hayles, Powell's teammate at the University of Florida, is the third ranked Jamaican in the event with 45.31, and has shown some form heading into the 'Trials'. He was seventh at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships and also ran a good opening leg for the Jamaica team a week ago in the Bahamas. He looks to be improving and could force himself into the top three.

It will take something very special from any of the other contenders to get into the top three. The best of the lot are Demish Gaye with 45.33, Deandre Anderson, with 45.37, and Jasuana Dennis, with 45.38.

Defending champion Powell will be very hard to beat and is a cinch to capture his second national senior title.

TOP THREE

1. Jevaughn Powell

2. Sean Bailey

3. Reheem Hayles