Tajay Gayle leapt 8.24 meters to win the men's long jump at the Jamaican trials on Saturday. Gayle, who is aiming to end Jamaica's 16-year wait for a long jump medal at the world championships, told Reuters: "It's a great feeling that I'll finally get to represent my country at the world championship. "In Doha, I'll definitely try my best to secure a medal and join James Beckford, who won silver medals in 2003 and 1995," added Gayle, who had four jumps over 8m on the night. "I'm just trying to stay healthy, keep fit and see what happens in the next few months with the guidance of coach Stephen Francis. In the men's discus, Traves Smikle threw 66.33m to defeat Commonwealth Games champion and training partner Fedrick Dacres (63.49m); Dacres struggled on Saturday, fouling three of his attempts and could only get a 63.49m as Smikle upstaged him with a 64.50m toss. Chad Wright finished in third place with 60.66m. Both Smikle and Dacres have achieved the World Championship qualifying standard. "I'm not particularly happy with the performance, but having the national title is good ... the last time I won it was 2012, so to win it in 2019 is a good feeling... Its just another step to what really matters, which is the world championships," Smikle told Reuters. Dacres, who recently threw a world leading 70.78m in Morocco, was pleased to have secured his berth at Doha and is now targeting consistency. "I've made the team, so now it is about preparing for the championships. It's about trying to be at a level where I'm always in the hunt for a podium finish," Dacres told Reuters. Danniel Thomas-Dodd won the women's shot put in 18.52m to secure her spot at the Sept. 28 to Oct. 6 world championships in Qatar. Thomas-Dodd beat defending champion Lloydricia Cameron (16.89m) and Nayoka Clunis, who took third place with a 16.34m. Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Natoya Goule returned a season best one minute, 59.50 seconds to win her seventh national 800m crown. The 100m champions from Friday night remained on course for the double after qualifying from the 200m semifinals on Saturday. Yohan Blake, the men's 100m champion, was an easy winner in his semifinal heat, running 20.42 seconds. Rasheed Dwyer, who was third in the 100m on Friday, also won his heat in 20.33 seconds while Julian Forte ran 20.54 seconds to advance. Andel Miller ran a personal best 20.57 seconds to book his spot. Women's 100m champion Elaine Thompson and runner up Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce both won their semifinal heats to qualify for Sunday's final of the 200m. With world champion Omar McLeod using his wild card for the upcoming Doha World Championships, the men's 110m hurdles promises to be an exciting final after three men all ran 13.66 seconds in the semifinals on Saturday. World and Olympic Games medalist Hansle Parchment won the second heat with 13.66 seconds, Commonwealth Games champion Ronald Levy won the first heat with a 13.66 and Orlando Bennett won the third heat with a 13.66. Olympic Games medallist Shericka Jackson ran a 50.69 seconds in the semifinals to lead the women's 400m. Rusheen McDonald's season's best 45.25 seconds was the fastest among the men in the 400m. — Agencies
