The 20-year-old star will join Michael Frater and Gregory Little at the Kingston-based Titans International Track Club with the blessing of her now former coach and mentor Ato Boldon. She retains her agent HSI Sports and managers LEEP Marketing.
“Briana, by her own admission, has grown comfortable over the last season and needs to be more challenged, so with my blessing and encouragement, she’ll be joining Michael Frater and Gregory Little’s group,” Boldon said.
“From the beginning, she and I knew I’d have to hand her off to someone who could coach her full time and as she turns 21 soon, now is the time.
This is the next chapter in her development and I’ll continue to advise and guide her, as I have since she was 10.”
Boldon has been Williams’ mentor and coach for the past decade. During that time, she ran a World U15 age-group 100m record of 11.13 in 2018.
That same year, she won three gold medals -100m, 200m and 4x100m - in the U17 category at the Carifta Games and was named winner of the coveted Austin Sealy Award.
Later that year, at age 16 and competing at the U20 World Championships in Tampere, Finland, Williams won the 100m in 11.16 before setting a new national U20 record of 22.50 while winning the 200m.
In doing so, she broke the previous U20 championship record of 22.53 held by the Bahamian Anthonique Strachan.
Williams won three more gold medals at the 2019 Carifta Games.
But according to the young star, it was time for a change.
“I'm excited about this new chapter and happy to be training in Jamaica,” said Williams.
“I have to thank Coach Ato for how much he has done for me and my career so far. He will always be a father figure to me.”
Titans International boasts an impressive roster that includes Yohan Blake, the 2011 World 100m champion and second-fastest man of all time, and Akeem Blake, the 2022 NACAC 100m champion, who was also a semi-finalist in the 100m at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Under the guidance of Frater and Little, Kemar Bailey-Cole, the 2014 Commonwealth Games 100m champion, has been resurrected after years of injury and illness threatened to end his once-promising career.
Williams, a Nike athlete, is a Digicel Brand Ambassador and a Brand Ambassador for Grace Foods.
Correction: In the original story published we mentioned that at the World U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, Briana Williams broke the championship record held by Veronica Campbell Brown. That was incorrect. The record of 22.53 was held by Anthonique Strachan of the Bahamas. Strachan set the record at the 2012 championships.
Briana Williams has gone pro!
A talented long jumper, Cole, who turns 19 in June, is the latest Jamaican female sprinter to join the professional ranks straight out of high school following on the heels of World U20 100m champion Tina Clayton, her twin sister Tia and Kerrica Hill, the World U20 100m hurdles champion.
Several calls to Edwin Allen Head Coach Michael Dyke and a call to MVP President Bruce James went unanswered on Thursday.
The two-time World U20 champion was a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m team that set three World U20 records in the Women U20 4x100m relay. She was the lead-off runner when the team ran 42.94 at the World U20 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya in 2021.
Cole was also the lead-off runner in April 2022 on a team that also included the Clayton twins and Brianna Lyston that established a new record of 42.58 at the 49th edition of the Carifta Games in Kingston, Jamaica. Unfortunately, that record was not ratified by World Athletics because one member of the team, Tina Clayton, was not drug tested.
However, at the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia in August last year, Cole, the Claytons, and Kerrica Hill ran 42.59, which was later ratified as the new world record.
With personal best in the 100m of 11.13, Cole was heading towards an epic showdown with Hydel High School’s Alana Reid at the 2023 ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls Championships in March but suffered a hamstring injury while cruising to victory in her semi-final heat in 11.17.
Reid won would go to win the final in a new ‘Champs’ record of 10.92, becoming the first Jamaican high school girl to break the 11-second barrier. Reid is reportedly matriculating to the University of Oregon in the fall.
Cole is currently with the Edwin Allen team at the Penn Relays in the United States.
The 18-year-old announced her decision to turn professional two weeks ago when she signed with Auctus Global Sports earlier this month and now, we know what brand she will be representing on the pro circuit.
Reid has enjoyed a sensational 2023 season, so far.
She was instrumental in helping her school, Hydel High, secure their maiden Girls Champs title. She ran an excellent national junior record of 10.92 to win Class 1 100m Gold at those championships before running 23.08 to complete the sprint double.
Reid also produced an 11.17 effort to win Under-20 100m gold at the Carifta Games in Nassau.
In her first outing against pros in May, Reid ran times of 11.12 and 11.08 at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix at Drake Stadium in California in May.
The Olympic Gardens Football Club, based at the Cling Cling Oval in Olympic Gardens, serves as a beacon of hope and opportunity for aspiring young athletes from the surrounding area. Fielding teams across various age groups and categories, including a Super League team, as well as Under-13, 15, 17, 20, and Female teams, the club operates on a voluntary basis, with all funds and resources dedicated to providing equipment and opportunities for its members.
Fraser-Pryce, affectionately known as the "Pocket Rocket" for her explosive speed on the track, has long been an inspiration to athletes both locally and internationally. Hailing from the Waterhouse community herself, Fraser-Pryce understands the importance of support and encouragement in nurturing talent and fostering dreams.
On Tuesday evening, Fraser-Pryce extended her support to the Olympic Gardens Football Club with a generous donation totaling JMD$100,000 towards the team's feeding programme. Alongside the financial contribution, the athletes were thrilled to receive 21 pairs of football boots and socks, courtesy of NIKE, ensuring they have the necessary gear to excel on the field.
Additionally, each player received NIKE drawstring bags, providing a sense of pride and belonging, while further enhancing their sporting experience. To keep the athletes hydrated and energized, Fraser-Pryce arranged for them to receive 876 Water and Lucozade, essential elements for peak performance on the pitch.
The donation from Fraser-Pryce was not just a gesture of goodwill but also a message of inspiration and encouragement to the young athletes of Olympic Gardens Football Club. Through her actions, she reminded them that with dedication, hard work, and support from the community, they can achieve their goals and dreams, no matter how big or small.
She also emphasized the importance of teamwork, which allows them to achieve success and the recognition necessary to attain greater levels of reward for their hard work. (see video below)
