KINGSTON, Jamaica - An upset victory by LSU junior All-American Riker Hylton in the men's 400-meter dash highlighted an exciting final day during the 2011 Jamaican National Senior Championships on Sunday as the Linstead native earned his spot on Jamaica's world-famous sprint team that will compete at the IAAF World Championships in South Korea this summer.
Hylton set two personal records in a 24-hour span in winning this year's Jamaican 400-meter crown while earning the right to represent Jamaica on the world stage for the first time in his career.
Also earning her spot on Jamaica's World Championship team was former Lady Tiger national champion Nickiesha Wilson, who broke the 56-second barrier en route to a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at the National Stadium during Friday's championship action.
Hylton kicked off his championship run on Thursday as he qualified for the semifinal round with a second place in his preliminary heat after opening with a time of 46.24 seconds.
Following a day away from competition on Friday, Hylton returned Saturday for the 400-meter semifinals and shattered his PR with a time of 45.58 to win the first semifinal heat, and finish in second place overall to secure his spot in Sunday's championship final. That's when Hylton staged the biggest upset during the four-day meet at the National Stadium as he again set a PR with his winning time of 45.30.
The former St. Jago High School star entered the meet with a previous personal best of 45.83 that he set at the 2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the semifinal round on June 8.
"When we came off the bend and I saw I was there with them, I knew I had it in me and just wanted to do my best," Hylton said. "I just give God thanks for the progress that I've made."
Leford Green, the Jamaican 400-meter hurdles champion, finished runner-up to Hylton in the finals of the 400-meter dash with his time of 45.46, while former Jamaican 400-meter champion Lansford Spence took third place with an identical time of 45.46 as each will join Hylton at the World Championships.
Jamaican national record holder and championship favorite Jermaine Gonzales finished in a disappointing fourth place in Sunday's final with his time of 45.59. Gonzales set the Jamaican national record in 2010 at 44.40, while he entered this weekend's competition as the No. 9-ranked 400-meter sprinter worldwide for the 2011 outdoor campaign with his seasonal best of 45.07 run in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
Despite this fourth-place finish Sunday, Gonzales is still expected to compete in the 400-meter dash at the World Championships this summer as Green is likely to focus his attention on the 400-meter hurdles with Team Jamaica that will made the trip to Daegu, South Korea, from Aug. 27-Sept. 4.
Wilson, a nine-time All-American in two seasons with the Lady Tigers from 2007-08, is set to compete at the IAAF World Championships for the third time following appearances in 2007 and 2009.
Wilson took third place in Friday's final of the women's 400-meter hurdles at the 2011 Jamaican National Senior Championships as she crossed the finish line in 55.95. That marked her second-fastest effort of the season as she ran 55.57 in Rio de Janeiro on May 26 to meet the "B" qualifying standard needed for a trip to Daegu. Kaliese Spencer (54.15) and Ristananna Tracey (54.58) finished ahead of Wilson in the final.
Wilson is a seasoned veteran in international competition as she has represented Jamaica in four meets on the world stage. This includes two prior appearances at the World Championships in 2007 and 2009, to go along with her debut at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, during the 2008 season.
She actually set her lifetime personal best of 53.97 in the 400 hurdles at the 2007 World Championship in the semifinal round before taking fourth place in the second-fastest time of her career at 54.10.
While Wilson made her third career World Championships team for Jamaica, former Tiger hurdle star Isa Phillips came up short in his bid for a third-straight World Championships appearance as he earned a fifth place in the final of the men's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 49.86.
Lady Tiger senior Melissa Ogbourne took home the silver medal in the women's triple jump Sunday after jumping a wind-legal seasonal best of 42 feet, 11 inches on her fifth attempt. Despite finishing in second place, Ogbourne is unable to compete at the World Championships as she has not met the "B" standard of 46-3 ¼ needed to make the trip to South Korea and represent Jamaica in the competition.
Former Lady Tiger All-American sprinter Samantha Henry lined up in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes this weekend at the Jamaican National Senior Championships.
After qualifying for the 200-meter final with a wind-legal time of 23.06 in the prelim, Henry finished in a time of 23.57 in the final for an eighth-place finish. She added a ninth-place finish overall in the prelim of the 100-meter dash on Friday night after running 11.42 to take third place in her heat.