Tina Clayton officially announced her arrival among Jamaica’s sprinting elite, delivering a stunning personal best of 10.81 seconds to win her maiden national 100m title at the JAAA/Puma National Senior Championships on Friday night.
The 21-year-old MVP Track Club sprinter, often seen in the shadow of her twin sister Tia Clayton’s blazing performances, stepped into the limelight with authority. Tina’s commanding run not only bettered her previous personal best of 10.93 seconds, but also firmly placed her in medal contention for the upcoming World Athletics Championships.
Final Results – Women’s 100m
- Tina Clayton – 10.81
- Shericka Jackson – 10.88
- Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce – 10.91
- Jodean Williams – 11.02
- Jonielle Smith – 11.06
- Alana Reid – 11.13
- Ashanti Moore – 11.19
- Tia Clayton – DNF
While much of the pre-race attention had centered on the generational showdown between Olympic and World champions Shericka Jackson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, it was the youthful grit and composure of Tina Clayton that seized the moment. She exploded from the blocks and held firm down the stretch, even as Jackson and Fraser-Pryce mounted their characteristic late surges.
Jackson, ever consistent, clocked a strong 10.88 for second place, while Fraser-Pryce flashed shades of her world-beating form with a season’s best 10.91 to secure third. Both veterans delivered competitive performances, but the evening belonged to the rising star from MVP.
Tina’s triumph carried added emotional weight, coming just after her twin sister Tia Clayton had impressed with a blistering 10.86 in the semi-finals before pulling up in the final and failing to finish.
With this emphatic victory, Tina Clayton joins Jackson, Fraser-Pryce, Jodean Williams and Jonielle Smith as athletes who’ve met the qualifying standard for this summer’s World Championships. Their official selections now await ratification by World Athletics.
