Deandre Watkin produced a stunning upset over defending national champion Sean Bailey and NCAA Championships bronze medallist Jevaughn Powell to claim his first national 400m title on day two of the JAAA National Senior and Junior Athletics Championships at the National Stadium on Friday.
Watkin, the 21-year-old who entered the meet with a personal best of 45.26 done last year before lowering it to 45.19 in the heats on Thursday, produced an excellent 44.48 to take the win.
Bailey, last year’s national champion, ran a season’s best 44.65 in second while Powell ‘s time in third was 44.79.
This will be the first trip to the Olympics for Watkin and Powell and the second for Bailey who competed in the mixed relay in Tokyo.