Bermuda’s Jah-Nhai Perinchief beat some of the world’s best triple jumpers at The Penn Relays in Philadelphia on Saturday.

In front of a huge crowd at Franklin Field, Perinchief jumped 16.86 metres to take first place in the Olympic Men’s Triple Jump Elite by 45cm from Kaiwan Culmer, of Bahamas, who jumped 16.41m and Jamaica’s Chevaughn Parkinson (16.16).

As well as victory, Perinchief set a modern record, with the triple jump being contested at the meet for the first time since 1968, when Norm Tate jumped 15.96 metres.

Perinchief had two jumps further than his nearest competitors, setting the winning mark in round two and leaping 16.79 in round five. He competed for Bermuda at the Olympic Games in Paris last year.

The Penn Relays is believed to be the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States and has been hosted annually since 1895.

It regularly attracts more than 15,000 participants from high schools, colleges, and track clubs throughout North America and abroad, with total attendance regularly topping 100,000.

According to the event website, the winners of individual events receive gold watches.