KINGSTON, Jamaica — One of the sport’s top global talents has kicked off his 2024 campaign in dominant fashion, as reigning world champion Oblique Seville clocked a polished 9.96 seconds with a legal 0.2 meters per second tailwind to claim top honors in the men’s 100-meter dash at the third JAAA/Puma Invitational meet, held Saturday at Kingston’s iconic National Stadium.
Seville, drawn in the 21st and final heat of the day’s 100m competition, separated himself from the rest of the field in his section within the opening 30 meters, never looking threatened en route to the finish line. He crossed the line well clear of second-place finisher in his heat Sandrey Davison, who registered a time of 10.22 seconds, while Adrian Kerr rounded out the heat’s top three with a 10.28s run. Across all heats, rising star Bouwahjgie Nkrumie took second place overall, posting a new personal season’s best of 10.13 seconds in the penultimate heat despite a slowing -1.1m/s headwind.
In the women’s 100m, Ashanti Moore emerged as the standout performer of the day, taking the victory in a solid 11.18 seconds with a 0.1m/s wind reading. She edged out World Relays gold medalist Jodean Williams, who crossed the line just four hundredths of a second behind at 11.22s, while national junior record holder Alana Reid claimed the third spot on the podium with a 11.31-second run.
Other highlights from the one-day meet included a surprise men’s 400m victory for Tajh Marques White, who crossed the line first in 45.91 seconds. White held off a late push from Kingston College high school standout Jason Pitter, who finished second in 46.40 seconds, just one hundredth of a second ahead of third-place Reheem Hayles who clocked 46.42s.
In the field events, Samantha Hall dominated the women’s discus throw, launching a winning mark of 60.07 meters to take the title. Lushane Wilson, a decorated World Indoor Championships medalist, claimed top spot in the men’s high jump, clearing the bar at 2.16 meters to secure the win at the national qualifying event.