Twenty-year-old Barbadian middle distance runner, Jonathan Jones, is rapidly setting new bars for his country in the event and determinedly blazing his own path towards the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
After thrashing the national 400 metres record a few weeks ago in the US collegiate 2019 meeting, the youngster blazed to a faster timing last weekend at the London leg of the international Diamond League.
He clocked 44.63 seconds behind race winner, Jamaica’s Akeem Bloomfield who finished at 44.40 seconds.
During the American National Collegiate Athletic Association 2019 Outdoor Track and Field Championships last month Jones signalled that he is a man on a mission by clocking 44:64 seconds to wipe out Barbados’ national 400-metre record that was held by Elvis Forde since 1984
Forde’s 35-year record of 45:32 had appeared unassailable for local athletes until young Jones came along.
With the national record already under his belt, Jones was not among the fastest as he sprang out of Lane Eight in the Diamond League London 400-metre final but began asserting himself just as he passed the 100-metre mark.
The young Bajan then moved up from fourth position easing past Jamaica’s Nathan Allen and eclipsed the US’ Obi Igbokwe in the homestretch to claim silver.
Allen was third in 44:85 seconds.
Jones, a freshman at University of Texas, qualified for the Tokyo Olympics since his NCAA national record-breaking run, which was below the 44:90 standard set for the 2020 games.
