Briana Nichole Williams (born March 21, 2002) is an American-born sprinter competing for Jamaica in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She became the youngest athlete to win the women's 100 metres and 200 metres double at the 2018 World Under-20 Championships in Tampere at age 16.

Briana Williams
Personal information
Full nameBriana Nichole Williams
Nationality
  • American
  • Jamaican[1]
Born (2002-03-21) 21 March 2002 (age 22)
Miami, Florida, U.S.[2][1]
Sport
CountryJamaica
SportTrack and field
EventSprints
ClubBorn 2 Do It[3]
Turned pro2020[4]
Coached byAto Boldon[1][5]
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Jamaica
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m relay
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Eugene 4×100 m relay
Silver medal – second place 2023 Budapest 4×100 m relay
World U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Tampere 100 m
Gold medal – first place 2018 Tampere 200 m
NACAC Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Freeport 4×100 m relay
Pan American U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 San José 100 m
Silver medal – second place 2019 San José 4×100 m relay
NACAC Championships (U18)
Gold medal – first place 2019 Queretaro 100 m

She holds the girls' 100 metres age-15 world record with a time of 11.13 seconds, set in March 2018. She is the Jamaican under-18 and under-20 record holder in the women's 200 metres, and was Jamaica"s under-18 and under-20 record holder in the women's 100 metres with personal bests of 22.50 seconds and 10.97 seconds respectively.[6][7][8][9]

Athletics career

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2018

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On March 17 at the Bob Hayes Invitational in Jacksonville, Florida, Williams broke the world age-15 record in the girls' 100 metres, winning in a time of 11.13 seconds. The previous record had been 11.17 seconds, set almost 27 years prior by Marion Jones on 1 June 1991.[6][7]

Two weeks later she earned gold medals in the 100 metres, the 200 metres, and the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2018 CARIFTA Games in the under-17 category, setting championship records in the 100 metres and 4 × 100 metres relay.[10][11][12]

In July she became the youngest athlete ever to win both the women's 100 metres and the 200 metres at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere.[13][5][14]

2019

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At the 2019 CARIFTA Games in April, Williams again tripled in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m relay to win three gold medals in the under-20 category.[15][16]

On 1 June, Williams set a new Jamaican under-18 and under-20 record in the women's 100 metres at the JAC Open in Jacksonville, Florida, improving on Kiara Grant's under-20 record set the month prior by one hundredth of a second to 11.10 seconds.[8] Grant took the record back a week later at the NCAA Division I Championships in Austin, Texas with a 11.04 seconds finish in the final, but less than an hour later Williams improved the record to 11.02 seconds at the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[9]

Williams ran 10.94 s in the 100 m final at the Jamaican Championships on 21 June 2019, which would have set the world under-18 best time and improved her Jamaican under-20 record.[17][18][19][20] However, she tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide during the competition. While she was ruled to be not at fault and received no period of ineligibility to compete, her results from the Jamaican Championships were deleted from the records.[21][22][23]

2021

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Williams improved her official Jamaican under-20 record of 11.02 seconds in the women's 100 metres at the JAC Summer Open in Jacksonville, Florida on 30 May, clocking 11.19 seconds in the prelims and then winning the final in 11.01 seconds.[24] A day later in the American Track League at the same track she ran 10.97 in the prelims, but the time was assisted by a +2.5 m/s wind, making it ineligible for record purposes which allow no more than a +2.0 m/s wind velocity. In the final she clocked 10.98 seconds to win with only a +1.0 m/s wind, setting her second Jamaican under-20 record in two days.[25] In June 2021, Williams placed fourth at the Jamaican National Championships with a time of 11.01 in the 100 metres, thus not qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in that event.[23] However, she competed at the Olympics as a part of the 4 x 100 metres relay team, winning the gold medal.

Awards and recognition

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Williams earned the Austin Sealy award at the CARIFTA Games in 2018 and then 2019 for her records set and gold medals earned in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay in both editions. She was the first Jamaican athlete to win the award two years in a row since Usain Bolt in 2004.[10][11][12][15][16]

For her athletics achievements in 2018 she was nominated for the IAAF Female Rising Star and the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year awards.[26][27][28]

Statistics

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Personal bests

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Event Time (s) Wind (m/s) Venue Date Notes
60 metres 7.15 -1.1 Kingston, Jamaica 25 January 2020 Jamaican U20 record
60 metres indoor 7.04 Belgrade, Serbia 18 March 2022 Jamaican U23 indoor record
100 metres 10.97 +1.2 Miramar, FL, United States 5 June 2021 Jamaican U20 record[note 1]
10.93 w +3.6 Miramar, FL, United States 5 June 2021 (wind-assisted)
200 metres 22.50 -0.1 Tampere, Finland 14 July 2018 Jamaican U18 and U20 record[13][5][14]
4 × 100 m relay 41.02 Tokyo, Japan 6 August 2021 Jamaican national record, 2nd all-time[29]

International competitions

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Representing   Jamaica
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Wind (m/s) Notes
2017 CARIFTA Games (U18) Willemstad, Curaçao 3rd 100 m 11.80 −1.6
2018 CARIFTA Games (U17) Nassau, Bahamas 1st 100 m 11.27 +1.6 CR[30][11]
1st 200 m 23.11 +1.1 PB
1st 4 × 100 m relay 44.95 PB CR[10][11]
World U20 Championships Tampere, Finland 1st 100 m 11.16 0.0
1st 200 m 22.50 −0.1 NU18R NU20R CR[13][5][14]
2019 CARIFTA Games (U20) Georgetown, Cayman Islands 1st 100 m 11.25 +0.3 SB
1st 200 m 22.89 +0.9 SB
1st 4 × 100 m relay 44.25 PB
NACAC U18 Championships Querétaro, Mexico 1st 100 m 11.11 +1.5 CR
Pan American U20 Championships San José, Costa Rica 1st 100 m 11.38 −1.4
2nd 4 × 100 m relay 44.36
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 1st 4 × 100 m relay 41.02 NR
2022 World Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 6th 60 m 7.04
2024 World Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 14th (sf) 60 m 7.19

National championships

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Wind (m/s) Notes
2017 Jamaican U20 Championships Kingston, Jamaica 2nd 100 m 11.30 +1.6 PB
2nd 200 m 23.57 +0.5 PB
2018 Jamaican Championships Kingston, Jamaica 5th 100 m 11.21 +0.4
2019 Jamaican Championships Kingston, Jamaica 3rd DQ 100 m 10.94 +0.6 [note 1][17][18][19]
2021 Jamaican Championships Kingston, Jamaica 4th 100 m 11.01 -

Seasonal bests

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Year 100 metres 200 metres
2014 13.25
2015 12.09 24.79
2016 12.58 26.16
2017 11.30 23.56
2018 11.13 22.50
2019 11.02[note 1] 22.88
2020 12.43 24.70
2021 10.97 22.93 w
2022 11.03 22.81
2023 11.01 23.38

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Williams finished third in 10.94 s at the 2019 Jamaican Championships, which would have been a world under-18 best time and improved her Jamaican under-20 record. However, she tested positive for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide during the competition. She was ruled to be not at fault and received no period of ineligibility to compete, but her results from the Jamaican Championships were nullified.[21][22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Gen 10: speed sensation Briana Williams". IAAF. 13 December 2018. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  2. ^ dos Anjos, Márvio (25 February 2019). "Amiga de Usain Bolt, Briana Williams 'persegue' Fraser-Pryce e Elaine Thompson". O Globo. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  3. ^ Mull, Cory (29 March 2018). "Briana Willliams Ready For Redemption At CARIFTA Games". MileSplit. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  4. ^ Mull, Cory (19 January 2020). "Teenage Sprint Star Briana Williams Signs With Nike". MileSplit. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d "Briana Williams wins World U20 sprint double". Athletics Weekly. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  6. ^ a b Sully, Kevin (17 March 2018). "Briana Williams Passes Marion Jones' World Age Group Record in 100". FloTrack. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  7. ^ a b Grasley, Todd (17 March 2018). "Briana Williams Passes Marion Jones' World Age Group Record in 100, US#4 A-T 11.13s". MileSplit. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  8. ^ a b Foster, Anthony (1 June 2019). "Briana Williams sizzles to 11.10 for new Jamaican JR". TrackAlerts.com. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b Foster, Anthony (8 June 2019). "Briana Williams reclaims NJR with 11.02". TrackAlerts.com. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  10. ^ a b c Francis, Noel (3 April 2018). "Williams leads Jamaican dominance at Carifta Games in Nassau". IAAF. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d Reid, Paul (5 April 2018). "Briana Williams joins iconic Bolt, Blake, VCB as Sealy award winner". The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  12. ^ a b Allen, Ian (3 April 2018). "Carifta royalty - Williams shines as Jamaica again dominates regional championships". The Gleaner. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  13. ^ a b c Graham, Raymond (16 July 2018). "Briana's Double - 16-y-o Wins 200m To Add To 100m Gold". The Gleaner. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  14. ^ a b c "Jamaican-American Phenoms at World Juniors, Mexican and Indian 800 Records Fall, Bernard Lagat Still Has It and Athletics World Cup". LetsRun.com. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  15. ^ a b Levy, Leighton (22 April 2019). "Briana Williams cops back-to-back Austin Sealy Awards". SportsMax. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  16. ^ a b Francis, Noel (23 April 2019). "Williams leads continued Jamaican dominance at CARIFTA Games". IAAF. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  17. ^ a b Francis, Noel (22 June 2019). "Thompson beats Fraser-Pryce to Jamaican 100m title as both clock 10.73". IAAF. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  18. ^ a b Zaccardi, Nick (22 June 2019). "Elaine Thompson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce sizzle at Jamaican Championships". NBC Sports. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  19. ^ a b Mull, Cory (22 June 2019). "Briana Williams Sets 100m High School National Record With 10.94". FloTrack. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  20. ^ Gary Smith (21 June 2019). "Briana Williams Runs NJR At Jamaica Trials; Thompson, Fraser-Pryce Goes Sub-11 In Semis". SportsAlert. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  21. ^ a b Gillen, Nancy (1 September 2019). "Jamaican teenage sprint star Williams faces ban for failed doping test". Inside the Games. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  22. ^ a b Raynor, Kayon; Osmond, Ed (26 September 2019). "Jamaica's Williams escapes doping ban". Reuters. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  23. ^ a b c "ATHLETE PROFILE Briana WILLIAMS". World Athletics. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  24. ^ Levy, Leighton (30 May 2021). "Briana Williams establishes new national U20 record with plans to break it again in Jacksonville on Monday". SportsMax. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  25. ^ Levy, Leighton (31 May 2021). "10.98! Briana Williams delivers on promise while rising hurdler Anderson clocks huge PB in Jacksonville". SportsMax. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  26. ^ "Briana Williams shortlisted for 2018 Female Rising Star Award". The Jamaica Observer. 26 November 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  27. ^ Reid, Collin (18 February 2019). "Williams honoured by Laureus nomination". The Gleaner. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  28. ^ Levy, Leighton (17 January 2019). "Briana Williams nominated for prestigious 2019 Laureus Sports Breakthrough Award". SportsMax. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  29. ^ "All time Top lists – 4 x 100 m Relay Women – Senior Outdoor". World Athletics. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  30. ^ Reid, Paul (31 March 2018). "#FLOWCariftaGames: Ja's Briana Williams sets new 100m record". The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 27 February 2019.

https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/i-gave-it-my-all-tonight-says-brianna-after-4th-jamaica-trials

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