The 19-year-old Williams, who set a national U20 record when she ran 11.02 in New Mexico in June 2019, clocked 11.01 at the JAC Summer Open, running at what she said was about 95 per cent effort, as she was saving herself for Monday’s races.
If ratified, the time run with a trailing wind of 1.4m/s would eclipse her previous mark from 2019.
A fast time was always on the cards as in the preliminary round, the 2018 World U20 100m champion, cruised to a comfortable victory in 11.19.
“The first, the preliminary, was good; just working on my start, how low I am coming out of my drive phase, and then most importantly, high knees, don’t break form and just run to the line,” she said of her first run since she ran 11.09 and 11.15 at the Miramar South Florida Invitational on May 9.
She revealed that she was still not all out at her 11.01 run as this was the ‘semi-final’ before Monday’s races at Hodges Stadium in North Florida.
“I didn’t want to go all out, that’s for tomorrow. I was about 95 per cent,” she said. “Glad to have run 11.01 not trying too much but giving enough to where I could set a national junior record and it felt great. My form was great. I liked it.”
She said she was expecting tough competition on Monday but she wants to go out get a new personal best and finish healthy.
Williams, 19, who broke her national U20 record twice between Sunday and Monday night, ran times of 11.19 and 11.01 on Sunday at the JAC Summer Open in Jacksonville, Florida. The 11.01 lowered her national u20 record of 11.02 set in Albuquerque, New Mexico in June 2019.
The record would last just over 24 hours as on Monday night at the American Track League’s Duval County Challenge inside Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville, she ran a wind-aided 10.97 and then a wind-legal 10.98 to lower the record once more.
Her coach, Ato Boldon, was pleased with everything, except Monday’s poor start, that his young charge delivered over the two days and declared afterwards that she is right where he wanted her to be four weeks from Jamaica’s National Championships to select a team to the Olympic Games in July.
“I liked the fact that she competed but it’s just strange for me to not see Briana react well to the gun. She didn’t react normally to the gun and then she panicked a little bit and stood up out of her drive phase,” he said.
“It tells me that where I thought she should be, is where she is. That was 10.87, she lost about a tenth with not having a normal Briana start.”
Looking at the bigger picture, Boldon said Williams proved that she is ready to handle multiple rounds of competition, circumstances she will face at the national championships at the end of June and at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, should she get there.
“The most important thing about this weekend is that this young lady ran 11.19, 11.01, 10.97 and 10.98 so her body can handle the work, she is ready for rounds. This was more a workout than anything else because I purposely wanted to push her,” he said.
“We will back off this week and get her ready for the last couple of races and then get her ready for trials.”
