Jamaica’s Jaydon Hibbert established a new championship record on his very first jump on his way to winning gold in the triple jump on Friday’s penultimate day of the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.

The 17-year-old Hibbert, who is headed to the University of Arkansas in the Fall, produced a winning jump of 17.27m to improve upon the silver medal he won in Nairobi, Kenya in 2021.

He broke the record of 17.15m set in 2018 by Cuba’s Jordan Diaz Fortun. It also moved the Jamaican to number two all-time at the U20 level behind Fortun’s 17.41m and was only two centimetres shy of fellow Jamaican’s James Beckford national U20 record of 17.29m set in 1994.

India’s Selva P. Thirumaran copped the silver medal with his best jump of 16.15m while Estonia’s Viktor Morozov leapt out to 16.13m to claim the bronze medal.

Hibbert would have also won the competition with his second jump of 16.82m.

Jamaica also claimed gold in the high jump as Brandon Pottinger cleared 2.14m to win the high jump over  Brian Raats of South Africa and Bulgaria's Bozhidar Saraboyukov, who each cleared 2.10m.

Meanwhile, Roshawn Clarke was denied a possible gold medal in the 400m hurdles but finished third.

Battling down the home stretch with eventual winner Ismail Nezir of Turkey, Clarke hit the ninth hurdle and lost his momentum as Nezir surged past him on his way to victory in a national U20 record of 48.84.

Clarke’s mishap also allowed Matic Ian Gucek to get by him to claim silver in 48.91, also a national U20 record. The Jamaican finished in 49.62.

At the end of competition on Friday, Jamaica have won 12 medals – five gold, four silver and three bronze. Only the USA, with 13 medals (five gold, four silver and four bronze), has more.