Elton Tucker, Assistant Sport Editor

Usain Bolt powers to victory in the men's 200m on Sunday night. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

A RELATIVELY low-key Puma/Supreme Ventures National Senior and Junior Championships came to life on the final evening when Usain Bolt shattered Donald Quarrie's near 36-year-old record in the men's 200 metres.

Bolt has had some really big moments in his young career and this ranks up there with all the rest. His 19.75 obliterated Quarrie's 19.86 set on August 3, 1971 in Cali, Colombia. Chris Williams, still in good form at age 35, was second in 20.24 and Clement Campbell third in 20.29.

In other events, athletes who were competing for places on national teams to the July 13-29 Pan American Games in Brazil and the August 25 to September 2 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan, produced a number of personal best and season-leading times.

The meet, especially on the track side, had in fact lost much of its glow before the first shot from the starter's gun. Sherone Simpson, the fastest woman over 100m and 200m in 2006 and the defending women's sprint champion at the meet, withdrew because of a hip injury. The much-anticipated clash with Veronica Campbell and rising star Kerron Stewart was off.

Campbell, a big star in her own right, took full advantage of Simpson's absence to repeat the sprint double she won in 2005. The 2004 Olympic 200m champion clocked a season-best 10.89 seconds in the 100m as Keri-Ann Brooks (11.05) and Simone Facey (11.16) all clocked personal best times in placing third and fourth respectively. Second-place Stewart equalled her personal best with an 11.03 clocking.

In the women's 200m, Campbell was fully extended by Stewart, the former prevailing in the end in 22.39 to the latter's 22.51. Brooks was again third in 22.78.

Men's world 100m record holder Asafa Powell overcame groin problems during his race to take the men's final in 10.04. Powell twice moved his hand towards his groin during the race and appeared to be stopping in the last 10 metres. He somehow got over the line and went down flat on his back on the track.

The full extent of his injury is still not known. It was close for the next three places. Veteran Clement Campbell (10.10) grabbed second ahead of Nesta Carter (10.11) and Steve Mullings (10.12).

Novlene Williams (50.06) won the women's 400m easily ahead of Shericka Williams (51.02) and Shereefa Lloyd (51.02). The times were year's bests for all three.

The men's 400m was a thriller. Ricardo Chambers, the fastest Jamaican this year with 44.62 and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One champion, had looked very good in the preliminaries and was expected to win ahead of Michael Blackwood and Sanjay Ayre.

Ayre had other ideas, however, and powered past the top two in the straight to win in 45.07 from Blackwood, 45.16, and Chambers, 45.34. Both Ayre and Blackwood registered their fastest times for 2007.

Like the women's sprints, the 100m hurdles lost its brightest star prior to the event. Brigitte Foster-Hylton, the favourite, came to the meet but did not face the starter because of an undisclosed injury. Her main rival, Delloreen Ennis-London, won easily in 12.62 from Vonette Dixon, 12.80, and Monique Morgan, 13.11.

The men's 400m hurdles produced an emphatic victory for Olympic silver medallist Danny McFarlane. Many believed that McFarlane had seen his best days and would fall to the young guns, 22-year-old Isa Phillips and 21-year-old Markino Buckley. He proved everybody wrong. The 35-year-old whipped his young rivals, powering away in the straight to win in 48.52, his best time this season. Phillips, the NCAA champion and pre-meet favourite, was a well-beaten second in 49.23 and Buckley was third in 49.24.

Melaine Walker took the women's event in 54.98 from Kaliese Spencer, 55.62, and Nickiesha Wilson, 55.72.

Among the other leading winners were Trecia Smith, the defending world triple jump champion, who warmed up for Japan by taking her event with a best leap of 14.35m; Maurice Wignall, who won the men's 110m hurdles in 13.67 seconds; Kenia Sinclair, who claimed the women's 800m in 1:59.11 and James Beckford, who took the men's long jump with a leap of 7.86m.