“Training has been going well. I’m going to do something I have never done before, compete in December,” she said.
“I am opening my 2020-2021 season next weekend in the Bahamas with a 300m and a 150m on the 18th and 19th.”
Like many track and field athletes, Williams was not able to compete much during the last season because of the Covid-19 pandemic that prompted the cancellation of meets around the globe. Training well and eager to compete, Jamaica’s national junior record holder is chomping at the bit says her coach Ato Boldon.
“For the first time Briana is training completely by herself and she is thriving with all my attention. She is about two and a half months in now and this meet presented itself. She wanted to do it and I realize that just in the time when we were thinking about it her training has gone up a notch,” Boldon told Sportsmax.TV, explaining that the 2018 World Under 20 sprint-double champion, trains well when she is getting ready for something.
“She will give a good account of herself and she is very excited about it.”
According to Boldon, Williams will contest the 300m on the Friday and then the 150m the following day.
Yohan Blake and his teammates from Titans International Track Club will also be competing at the meet dubbed the Christmas Classic All-Distance Meet and which is hosted by the Neymour Athletic Club.
At the two-day event, the 18-year-old Williams was set to compete in a 300m race today and a 150 sprint on Saturday but a reported failure on the part of the meet organizer to provide basic deliverables has forced her coach Ato Boldon to withdraw her from the meet and head back to Florida.
Confirmation came in the form of a post on Williams’ Facebook page this evening.
“Freeport, Bahamas has a special place in our hearts.
Last year, we flew here to do our part in the hurricane Dorian relief effort, so when the opportunity came to compete here this year, it seemed like a great idea,” Boldon’s statement said.
“Unfortunately, the organizers of this meet have failed to deliver on just about every reasonable expectation that there could be to host a decent track and field event, and as a result, I’ve decided to withdraw Briana from participation in this meet.”
Boldon said the athlete would resume training until another opportunity presented itself for her to compete.
Had she participated in the meet, it would have been the first time that Williams would be competing in December.
Entering Sunday’s final day with 12 medals, the Jamaicans doubled their tally to finish second overall on the medal table, trailing the USA who finished with 69.
Those 24 medals were split into six golds, nine silvers and nine bronzes. Cuba was the next best placed Caribbean country with six medals including two golds, one silver and three bronzes.
Jamaica’s final day was highlighted by Andrew Hudson’s personal best 19.87 to win the 200m.
Hosts The Bahamas was next with one gold, two silvers and four bronzes for seven medals overall. That gold medal came from hometown hero Shaunae Miller-Uibo who ran 49.40 to win the 400m.
Also registering gold medals were The British Virgin Islands through Kyron McMaster’s brilliant season’s best 47.34 in the 400m hurdles and Dominica through Thea LaFond's 14.49m in the triple jump.
Trinidad & Tobago got silvers in the men’s 4x100m and men’s javelin through Keshorn Walcott
Bermuda (one silver), St Vincent & The Grenadines (one silver), Barbados (one silver), Antigua & Barbuda (one bronze) and Puerto Rico (one bronze) also registered medals.
Christopher Taylor and Nathon Allen also advanced to the men’s final after the completion of their 400m heat
Miller-Uibo, the 2022 400m world champion, was a comfortable winner in the opening heat clocking 50.84 to finish ahead of Jamaica’s Stephenie-Ann McPherson, who ran a comfortable 51.65. Canada’s Kyra Constantine is also through to the final when she finished third in the opening heat in 51.93. Gabrielle Scott of Puerto Rico was the fourth qualifier having finished fourth in 52.22.
Meanwhile, Williams, who after winning the bronze medal in the 400m at the world championships in a personal best of 49.75 and then claimed gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, cantered to a time of 51.48 to win heat two ahead of Cuba’s Calderon Roxana Gomez who crossed the finish line in 51.57.
Canada’s Natasha McDonald finished third in 51.65 just ahead of Jamaica’s Junelle Bromfield, whose time of 51.75 also saw her advance to the final as a non-automatic qualifier.
Among the men, Taylor was fastest into the final having run 45.50 to win the second of the two heats.
Also through from that heat were Trinidad and Tobago’s Asa Guevara (47.08) and Aymeric Fermley of Guadeloupe (47.24).
All the other finalists advanced from the opening heat that was won by Allen in 45.85. Bryce Deadmon of the USA (46.63) also advanced along with Kinard Rolle of the Bahamas (47.86).
Allan LaCroix of Guadeloupe (48.27) and Cuba’s Rodriquez Reneil Pintado (49.22) also advanced as non-automatic qualifiers.
In the men’s long jump, 2019 World Champion Tajay Gayle and Shawn-D Thompson, who just missed out on a medal at the Commonwealth Games with a season’s best 8.05m, both advanced from the preliminary round of the long jump with marks of 7.83m and 7.76m, respectively.
Also advancing were Tristan James of Dominica (7.47m) and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Laquan Nairn of The Bahamas (7.43m).
Jackson, who recently ran a new lifetime best of 10.71 at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, which makes her the sixth fastest woman in history, is down to run the 100m along with Commonwealth Games 200m finalist Natalliah Whyte. Emerging sprinters Ackeem Blake and Conroy Jones will gain valuable experience in the blue ribbon sprint for the men.
Meanwhile, Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper and Crystal Morrison will compete in the 100m hurdles while Orlando Bennett will join Broadbell for the 110m hurdles.
Taylor and Nathon Allen are set to represent the island in the 400m while Jamaica’s 200m champion Andrew Hudson gets his first opportunity to wear national colours since his transfer of allegiance. He and Jazeel Murphy will contest the 200m.
Adelle Tracey, who missed out on the Commonwealth Games, will compete in the 800m while Commonwealth Games medallists Shian Salmon and Janieve Russell will compete over the 400m hurdles. Andrenette Knight, who fell while leading at Jamaica’s national championships in June, is listed as an alternate.
Shawn Rowe will compete in the men’s event.
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Kimberly Williamson and Lushane Wilson will take on NACAC’s best in the high jump.
Chanice Porter will be Jamaica’s lone female in the long jump while Tahjay Gayle, who has been returning to good health and form will be in tandem with Shawn-D Thompson for the men’s event.
Jamaica will send it’s very best in the triple jump in the form of Shanieka Ricketts, the World Championships silver medallist and Commonwealth Games champion.
Lloydrecia Cameron and O’Dayne Richards will throw the shot put while Samantha Hall, Federic Dacres and Traves Smikle will throw the discus.
Elvis Graham takes on the field in the javelin.
The relay pool for the Men’s 4x100m includes Ackeem Blake, Andrew Hudson, Oshane Bailey, Kadrian Gordon, Conroy Jones and Jazeel Murphy. The Women’s pool will have Megan Tapper, Natasha Morrison, Natalliah Whyte, Ashley Williams, Roneisha McGregor and Crystal Morrison.
Nathon Allen, Christopher Taylor, Javon Francis, Karayme Bartley, Demish Gaye and Shawn Rowe make up the 4x400m pool while the women’s squad includes Junelle Bromfield, Roneisha McGregor, Ashley Williams, Shian Salmon and Andrenette Knight.
Jamaica’s Tapper qualified fastest with a 12.62 effort to win semi-final one while Charlton of the Bahamas finished second in the second semi-final in 12.76 to advance. Puerto Rico’s Paola Vazquez (13.34) and Cuba’s Acevedo Lopez (13.43) also advanced to the final.
Costa Rica’s Gerald Drummond (49.68), BVI’s Kyron McMaster (49.77), Jamaica’s Shawn Rowe (50.27), Cuba’s Lazaro Fernandez (50.37), The Bahamas’ Shakeem Smith (50.55) and Haiti’s Joshua Adhemar (52.21) all advanced to the final of the 400m hurdles.
In the 200m, Jamaica’s Natalliah Whyte (22.78) and Ashley Williams (23.67) both advanced to the Women’s final along with The Bahamas’ Tynia Gaither (22.82), Trinidad & Tobago’s Mauricia Prieto (23.48) and Reyare Thomas (24.00) and Grenada’s Amanda Crawford (24.32).
On the Men’s side, Jamaica’s Andrew Hudson was the fastest qualifier to the final with 20.25. He’ll be joined in the event by teammate Jazeel Murphy (20.80), Trinidad & Tobago’s Kyle Greaux (20.68), The Bahamas’ Ian Kerr (20.89), Antigua & Barbuda’s Darrion Skerritt (21.17) and Bermuda’s Suresh Black (21.42).
In the field, Jamaica’s O’Dayne Richards threw 20.05m for bronze in the men’s shot put behind Americans Roger Steen (20.78m) and Adrian Piperi (20.76m).
The region also got silver and bronze in the men’s triple jump thanks to Bermuda’s Jah Nhai Perinchief (15.89m) and Antigua & Barbuda’s Taeco O’Garro (15.70m). Gold went to the USA’s Chris Bernard with 16.40m.
