Briana Nichole Williams (born March 21, 2002) is a Jamaican-American athlete who competes over 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.
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.
Athletics career 2018 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.
Two weeks later she earned gold medals in the 100 metres, the 200 metres, and the metres relay at the 2018 CARIFTA Games in the under-17 category, setting championship records in the 100 metres and relay.
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.
2019 At the 2019 CARIFTA Games in April, Williams again tripled in the 100 m, 200 m, and relay to win three gold medals in the under-20 category.
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. 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.
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. 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.
2021 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.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. 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.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. 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. However, she competed at the Olympics as a part of the 4 × 100 metres relay team, winning the gold medal.
Awards and recognition 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.
For her athletics achievements in 2018 she was nominated for the IAAF Female Rising Star and the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year awards.
Statistics Information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.
Personal bests 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 record100 metres 10.97 +1.2 Miramar, FL, United States 5 June 2021 Jamaican U20 record10.93 +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 4 × 100 m relay 41.02 Tokyo, Japan 6 August 2021 Jamaican national record, 2nd all-time
International competitions + Representing 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 1st 200 m 23.11 +1.1 1st 4 × 100 m relay 44.95 World U20 Championships Tampere, Finland 1st 100 m 11.16 0.0 1st 200 m 22.50 −0.1 2019 CARIFTA Games (U20) Georgetown, Cayman Islands 1st 100 m 11.25 +0.3 1st 200 m 22.89 +0.9 1st 4 × 100 m relay 44.25 NACAC U18 Championships Querétaro, Mexico 1st 100 m 11.11 +1.5 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 2022World Indoor ChampionshipsBelgrade, Serbia6th60 m7.042023World ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary2nd4 × 100 m relay41.212024World Indoor ChampionshipsGlasgow, United Kingdom14th (sf)60 m7.192026World RelaysGaborone, Botswana1st4 × 100 m relay42.00
National championships Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Wind (m/s) Notes2017 Jamaican U20 Championships Kingston, Jamaica 2nd 100 m 11.30 +1.6 2nd 200 m 23.57 +0.5 2018 Jamaican Championships Kingston, Jamaica 5th 100 m 11.21 +0.4 2019 Jamaican Championships Kingston, Jamaica 3rd 100 m 10.94 +0.6 2021 Jamaican Championships Kingston, Jamaica 4th 100 m 11.01 -
Seasonal bests w = wind-assisted (over +2.0 m/s) 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 22.88 2020 12.43 24.70 2021 10.97 22.93 2022 11.03 22.81202311.0123.38
Notes
References
https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/i-gave-it-my-all-tonight-says-brianna-after-4th-jamaica-trials
External links