Jamaica College's Joseph Salmon claims Penn Relays discus gold despite groin niggle

Jamaica College's Joseph Salmon has continued his unbeaten run of discus golds this season, adding another top-of-the-podium finish at the Penn Relays even though the teenager felt he fell short of his usual standard.

The thrower, who already had Champs and Carifta Games titles in his bag, came away victorious at the 130th edition of the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

Speaking with the Jamaica Observer, Salmon revealed that he had been carrying a knock heading into the meet. "Right now, I'm not at my best because I have a groin injury that I picked up like a week before Penn Relays," he said.

"So yeah, I've been dealing with that so far. Coming into Penn Relays, I was still feeling it, but I didn't pay much mind. But I nursed it, took care of it, and I was feeling better until I started throwing, I started feeling it," he explained.

Despite that discomfort, the youngster pushed through to take the title. "So I know that's why I didn't really like my performance but I still won, and I'm thankful for that. God pulled me through to do my absolute best," he added.

Salmon's personal best stands at 67.55m with the 1.75 kg implement, a mark that doubles as Jamaica's National Junior Record. He also currently sits as the world's leading thrower among Under-20 athletes.

The University of Nebraska commit will round off his junior career at the World Under-20 Championships scheduled for Oregon, USA, in August.

"I'm hoping that it (groin) gets better by that time so I can redeem myself. I really want to redeem myself because this was an absolute garbage performance," he reiterated.

"But we move. So yeah, moving on to World Juniors now, I'm really confident in myself and my capabilities. I just want to stay healthy and it will be in my hands for the taking," Salmon said.