Daniel Clarke of Kingston College etched his name into Jamaican track and field history on Sunday, when he blazed to a new national junior record in the boys’ under-20 110m hurdles on the final day of the JAAA/Puma National Junior Championships at the National Stadium.

Clarke stormed across the finish line in 12.96 seconds to erase the previous mark of 12.99 set by Damion Thomas in 2018. With a legal wind reading of +0.7 m/s, the performance reaffirmed Clarke’s status as one of the brightest young stars in global hurdling. He is now the second fastest in the world, behind France's World Under-20 record holder Sasha Zhoya at 12.72s.

The 19-year-old left the blocks well and separated himself from the field almost immediately, as his fluid technique over the hurdles and lightning speed between them left little doubt that something special was unfolding. Romario Jibbison of St. Jago High was second in 13.58, while RaeJhaun Riley of William Knibb Memorial rounded out the podium with 13.70.

While Clarke celebrated at the top of the podium, there was plenty of promise further down the standings. Jibbison, Riley, and Shakir Lewis of Jamaica College, who finished fourth in 13.88, also met the World Junior qualifying mark.