Jamaican Olympian Zandrian Barnes made a statement with a blistering 44.97-second season opener at the 25th staging of the Camperdown Classic at Kingston’s National Stadium on Saturday evening. The 23-year-old, who boasts a lifetime best of 44.90, was just 0.07 seconds off his personal best—an impressive feat considering it is only February.
Barnes, coached by Maurice Wilson at Sprintec Track Club, dominated the field in the men’s invitational 400m event, emerging as the overall winner across all five heats. His time represents the fastest season-opening mark of his career and solidifies his status as one of Jamaica’s top quarter-milers heading into the 2025 season. Speaking after his race, Barnes admitted that the performance exceeded his expectations.
Reigning World 400m champion Antonio Watson, who has been sidelined for the past year due to injury, made a solid return to competition, finishing second overall with a time of 46.03 seconds. Watson, whose personal best stands at 44.13 from the World Championships semi-finals in Budapest, won his heat ahead of fellow World Championship competitor Demish Gaye, who clocked 46.83 seconds.
Watson expressed his satisfaction with being back on the track and sees his performance as an encouraging sign that he is fully recovered and ready to compete at a high level this season. Assinie Wilson of Titans Track Club secured third place overall with a time of 46.40 seconds.
Olympic and World Championship 100m finalist Oblique Seville demonstrated increased endurance as he opened his season with a lifetime best of 47.04 seconds to win the third of five heats. The sprint star was comfortably ahead of Olympian Bryan Levell, who finished in 47.90 seconds.
Seville, who previously held a personal best of 47.44 set last season, showed that he has improved both in strength and stamina, indicating he will be a formidable force in the sprints this season.
The performances at the Camperdown Classic suggest a promising year ahead for Jamaica’s elite athletes, with Barnes, Watson, and Seville all setting the tone for the 2025 season. With several major championships on the horizon, the strong early-season performances bode well for Jamaica’s continued dominance in track and field.
-Marlon Reid photos