Brianna Lyston sounded a very loud warning to anyone desirous of challenging her in the 200m this season, when she ran a superb 22.66s for a massive personal best at the Carifta Trials as the National Stadium last weekend.

It was the first time that she dipped below 23 seconds in her career in what was a dominant display of half lap sprinting.

Quickly out of the blocks at the sound of the gun, Lyston who ran out of lane four, had the entire field covered before she came off the turn and heading into the home stretch it was simply a matter of how fast she could go as she ran away from her competitors, including her teammate of Alahna Reid who finished second in 23.29s.

Carleta Bernard of Mt Alvernia High was third in 23.65s.

Lyston who represented Jamaica at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya last year was left bitterly disappointed after she was disqualified following a second-place finish in the final then.

She said that her new personal best at the Carifta Trials has allowed her to help overcome that disappointment somewhat.

“Seeing where I was back in Kenya, the mishap that happened back in Kenya and coming back here to run a personal best, I was kind of shocked by the time, but I have been training hard, so it’s not much of a shocker.”

Lyston is now the fastest junior in the event this year and the second fastest Jamaican junior over the distance behind Olympian Briana Williams’s 22.50s.

She has plans to go even faster at the Carifta Games next month where she hopes to land a podium finish.

“I am hoping to get another personal best in the event and medal for my country,” she said.

She was coy in her response about her plans for the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championships which will take place one week before the Carifta Games.

“I don’t really have many plans for Champs, just to be at my best.”

Lyston is set to compete in both the 100m and 200m at the Central Champs, which begins Tuesday and ends Wednesday at the GC Foster College.

– Dwayne Richards