Traves Williams ran a personal best 6.59 at Millrose Games on February 11, 2023.
Contributed
Before the completion of the 60m final at 2023 Millrose Games at the Armory in New York on Saturday, February 11, not many Jamaicans would have known about Travis Williams.
However, after his 6.59s run that eventually placed him second to world-record holder Christian Coleman, the 19-year-old University of Albany sophomore has now been thrust into the spotlight as perhaps the next big sprinter from Jamaica.
Coleman won the race in a season-best 6.47 with 200m World Champion Noah Lyles finishing second in 6.53, just shy of his personal best. However, he was disqualified for a false start, resulting in Williams being promoted to second.
At the time, the 6.59 made him the fastest Jamaican in the world over the distance this season.
The son of Winston Rowe and Averil Leweing, Travis grew up in St. Ann, Jamaica and attended York Castle High School. He said he competed at the ISSA Boys and Girls Championships in 2017 and 2018 but emphasized that he wasn’t very good.
“I ran like 11.1 in Jamaica, nothing spectacular,” he said.
He migrated to New York in 2018 and enrolled at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx where he lettered all four years in track & field and was team captain as a senior.
While at Cardinal Hayes he was the 2021 4x200m national champion, the 2020 New Balance All-American as well as the 2021 Catholic High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) MVP.
He signed to attend the University at Albany in the fall of 2021 but hampered by injury, his freshman year anything but spectacular.
“Last season, there was a lot of ups and downs, I was hurt. I broke seven seconds in the 60m, one time. Then I ran 6.98, that was nothing spectacular,” Travis said.
However, Assistant Sprint Coach Junior Burnett recognized the potential in the young sprinter.
“Travis came to college running 6.95 in the 60m dash. (He) never knew how to execute the phases of sprinting. He learned how to develop the correct drive-phase angles, got stronger during the summer and the rest is history,” he said.
History took some amount of work, though, and it seems to be paying off for the emerging sprinter.
“Coming into this season, I had the right off-season training. It (the Millrose time) was no shock. I always told myself I was going to fast but I didn’t know it was going to be 6.59 fast,” said an excited Williams, who spoke with Sportsmax.TV earlier this week.
The first signs of what was to come began to emerge on December 2, 2022 when Travis ran 6.67 for second place in the 60m final at the Crowell Open.
A week later, he ran 6.67 again to win the dash at the Joe Donahue Games Opener having run 6.75 in the preliminaries.
He didn’t race again until January 21, 2023, when once again, he clocked 6.67 to win at the Boston University Battle in Beantown before a 6.70 run for another win at the Dr Sander Invitational Columbia Challenge.
“This is a breakthrough season for me, to be honest. My teammate, Shakur Williams, ran 6.66 and I ran 6.67 behind him. I said, ‘Hold on! I just opened my season with a 6.67 then we had a four-week break and came from the same place I left off so I was like, ‘alright, I’m consistent so at one of these meets my time will drop, I was just looking for that drop.
“So I ran 6.67 three times. I was a little upset with that but it was just setting me up for a big drop.”
The week before the Millrose Games, Travis ran 6.68 in the preliminaries and then 6.64 to win the 60m final at the Clemson Elite track meet. That performance got him invited to Millrose where the big drop finally came.
Coach Burnett believes he can go even faster but it will take time.
“Travis has the potential to run 6.49 in the 60m, but it is going to take him some time to learn the things required. (I am) hoping for 10.00/9.95 come summer,” he said.
Travis is also looking forward to the summer when Jamaica will host its national championships to select a team to the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Travis intends to be in Jamaica to take a shot at qualifying.
I am definitely targeting competing at the Jamaican trials and booking a spot on the team to Worlds. That was always on my agenda. No matter what, I am going to trials this year,” he said.
“This (the 6.59) definitely sets me up for a great season outdoors. I will definitely be going to trials.”
The summer is a long way off so for now, Travis will lock in on what is immediately ahead.
“I am targetting 10.1 but I could go faster but for right now that’s my target. My focus now is on indoor and indoor nationals, but I will definitely be there for trials.”
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
2019 World champion Tajay Gayle leaves MVP track club
2019 World Championship long jump gold medallist Tajay Gayle has left the MVP track and field club.
No reason has been given as to why the 2019 RJRGleaner National Sportsman of the year left the club based at the University of Technology in Kingston.
However, the 28-year-old national record holder looks set to start working with St. Elizabeth-based jumps coach Kerry-Lee Ricketts, husband of Shanieka Ricketts.
Ricketts has guided the career of his wife to silver medals at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships as well as silver at this summer's Paris Olympics.
Gayle struggled with knee injuries in the 2021 and 2022 seasons before returning to take bronze at last year’s World Championships in Budapest behind teammate Wayne Pinnock and Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglu.
Tiffany Langley eager to make the most of Fast5 opportunity on Sunshine Girls debut
Tiffany Langley’s netball journey has been marked by years of dedication, disappointment, and unwavering perseverance.
So, as she prepares to represent Jamaica for the first time as part of the Sunshine Girls squad to the Fast5 Netball World Series in New Zealand, Langley views her inclusion as a hard-earned opportunity for redemption and a stepping stone toward becoming a staple in the senior setup.
Langley’s selection for the November 9-10 tournament comes as a welcome reward after years of near misses at the youth level. She has been on the fringes of the national programme since her early teens, as she trained diligently with both the Under-16 and Under-21 teams.
Yet, despite her efforts, she narrowly missed out on making the final cut for international tournaments—experiences that could have easily derailed a young athlete’s confidence. But for Langley, those setbacks only fueled her desire to push harder and prove herself worthy.
“This opportunity means everything to me. It’s something I’ve been working towards for years, and I guess I can say my hard work has now paid off because being a part of a national team to represent my country is a dream come true,” Langley shared.
“Missing out on the Under-16 and Under-21 squads at that point was tough, but I never gave up. So for this opportunity to come at this point in my career, it gives me the confidence that I was lacking before to keep pushing forward, and now I’m excited to see what the future holds for me,” she told SportsMax.Tv.
For Langley, her selection to the Sunshine Girls’ Fast5 squad—a variation of netball known for its fast-paced style and tactical intensity—marks a turning point in her career.
Though Fast5 is different from the traditional 7-a-side format, the 24-year-old believes the condensed format suits her skill set and will allow her to showcase her versatility on the court.
“It’s a different game in many ways, but it’s also an opportunity to test yourself under pressure. I’ve been working hard on my speed, agility, and decision-making, and I’m mentally and physically ready to give it my all,” Langley shared.
“Mentally, I reassured myself that I’m good enough to be a part of this team and capable enough to get the job done. Physically, I am working extremely hard to better my skills in training to ensure that I deliver when I am called upon,” she added.
Langley, who started her netball journey at Gaynstead High School before transitioning to GC Foster College, believes her story is one of perseverance and resilience, as she is of the view that many athletes, when faced with repeated setbacks, might have opted to hang up their boots. However, the bubbly player’s love for the sport and her dream of representing Jamaica at the highest level kept her motivated.
Now with the opportunity there for the taking, Langley’s goal is to make a strong impression during the Fast5 tournament to show selectors that she can be a valuable asset for the team in both short and long formats of the game.
If she can deliver on her promise, she hopes this will be the first of many senior appearances.
“I’m not just happy to be here; I’m determined to make an impact. This isn’t just about making my debut; it’s about establishing myself as a player for the future. I want to be a part of the senior team for years to come, so this is just the beginning. I want to use this chance to learn, grow, and cement my place in the squad,” Langley asserted.
While they might find the going tough in New Zealand, Langley, a wing-attack, who is set to play centre at the tournament, is confident that the Dalton Hinds and Nardia Hanson-coached team has enough talent to cause some problems.
“I rate our chances highly. I love the work everyone is putting in at training; I love the camaraderie among us, and I’m so excited to see what this competition has to offer, as I am sure we all want to keep improving to be consistent in making more Sunshine Girls teams,” Langley ended.
Olympic bronze medallist Campbell wants more appreciation for athletes in Jamaica
When an athlete makes history for their country in the world’s biggest sporting spectacle, the Olympic Games, the typical reaction from that country is some sort of acknowledgement or celebration of that historic performance.
Unfortunately, this has yet to be the case for Jamaican shot putter Rajindra Campbell.
Campbell became the first Jamaican man to ever medal in a throwing event at an Olympic Games when he threw 22.15m to win bronze in Paris on August 3.
Four days after Campbell’s performance, Roje Stona also made history, throwing a personal best 70.00m for gold in the discus, becoming Jamaica’s first ever Olympic champion in a throwing event.
In the latest episode of SportsMax TV’s Out D Blocks hosted by Leighton Levy and D Major, the 28-year-old national record holder spoke candidly about the lack of acknowledgment and appreciation back home for these historic achievements.
“We have talked about it. The only problem is, as what Omar McLeod mentioned at trials about the 2016 Olympics, we don’t feel the appreciation from Jamaica,” Campbell said, referencing Omar McLeod’s comments after the Olympic trials where he spoke about not feeling appreciated by Jamaica after his Olympic gold medal performance eight years ago.
“You see the kind of celebration Julien Alfred got? I’m not expecting the same here but Jamaica has such a rich history in track and field, I don’t think the athletes are really appreciated for what they do,” he added.
Campbell, born in Ocho Rios, moved to Joplin, Missouri in 2018 to attend Missouri Southern State University where he attended for three years.
He noted that he’s received more of a celebration for his achievement in Joplin than back home in Jamaica.
“I met with the school President on Wednesday of last week and he explained certain things they have in store for me and there is a big sign on campus that people come in and see. It’s a different celebration taking place here compared to Jamaica,” he said.
As Campbell noted, whenever a Jamaican is in an event, Jamaicans expect them to do well. He wonders whether more appreciation would be given to the athletes when they do well if people understood the sacrifices they make on a daily basis.
“The love for Jamaica will never die. We will always continue to represent but, at the same time, the amount of sacrifice it takes to get to the level we are, something that I’ve found is once there is a Jamaican in an event, you’re expected to do well. How do we get there?”
“When you actually get there it’s like ‘Oh! I expected it or I knew you could do it.’ At the same time, there’s a journey that nobody really understands,” he continued.
He added that there has been no communication to him or Stona regarding any sort of celebration or acknowledgement in Jamaica.
Out D Blocks can be seen live every Thursday on the SportsMax TV YouTube channel.
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