The upcoming appearance will be the first for the 28-year-old sprinter since she pulled the plug on her 2020 season, in May, when the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the international track and field schedule.
The American Track League, which is part of the World Athletics Silver Tour, gives professional athletes an opportunity to return to competition as preparations begin for an Olympic year.
The meet, which is staged in four-parts, ran off in Fayetteville, Arkansas on Sunday. 2016 Olympic gold medalist in the 110m hurdles, Omar McLeod, who raced in the 60 metres, was one of several Jamaicans who took part on the opening weekend. The list also included the likes of Tyquendo Tracey, Senoj-Jay Givans, and Christopher Taylor. The meet will continue with the next three installments on January 31st, February 7th, and February 14th.
Williams, the 2019 Diamond League champion, is based in South Carolina in the USA where she trains with coach Lennox Graham at Clemson University.
Brian Lara, widely regarded as one of the greatest batters in Test cricket history, is set to captain the West Indies Masters in the International Masters League (IML), which begins on February 22 in India. The tournament, featuring six teams composed of retired cricketing legends, will be played across three cities—Navi Mumbai, Rajkot, and Raipur—with the final scheduled for March 16.
Chris Dehring, the highly regarded Jamaican sports administrator, who is about to embark on the job as CEO of Cricket West Indies, has been named to join a panel of experts to advise on the future of the sport of cricket around the world.
West Indies cricket legend Jeff Dujon voiced strong displeasure with the decision taken by Cricket West Indies (CWI) to remove Andre Coley as the head coach of the West Indies Test team. CWI announced Coley's impending departure during a media briefing in St Vincent which was attended by President Dr Kishire Shallow, Directors of the Board and Miles Bascombe, the Director of Cricket.
Chris Gayle has expressed his excitement as he prepares for his comeback on the international cricket stage. The 45-year-old self-proclaimed Universe Boss and undisputed king of T20 cricket, announced his comeback on Thursday as he prepares for the International Masters League, which is set to be played in front of thousands of fans in India. Gayle is part of the West Indies 15-member squad selected for the tournament.
The effort was the latest in a series of philanthropic acts undertaken by the athlete, who also recently donated tablets to student-athletes and printing machinery to the Jamaica Cancer Society who produces large volumes of readouts of pap smears, mammograms, and testicular cancer screenings on a daily basis. Williams also conducted a Christmas treat, in Montego Bay, in December.
The 18-year-old, who is also a patron of the Caribbean’s largest charity event, the Sigma Sagicor Run 2021, was lauded by the Prime Minister for her charitable efforts.
“I am happy that our young people are being agents of change and are willing to help build our great nation through service. Keep up the good work, Briana,” he wrote on his social media pages.
For Williams, it was inspirational to meet the Prime Minister once again. She was awarded the Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in sports, in 2018, following her outstanding performances at the World Under-20 Championships and CARIFTA Games, where she won the coveted Austin Sealy award.
“It was an honour to sit with him and he was just so encouraging and inspirational. Just being able to speak to him about my training and my preparations was so uplifting for me. He also promised to match my donation by purchasing printers for distribution to more schools as well. I know that if each of us contributes in some way, we can help Jamaica recover stronger, so I’m just happy to play my part,” said Williams.
Williams was accompanied by her manager Tanya Lee and Dominique Walker, CEO of Printware Online who provided the printers.
Bangladesh wrapped up a dominant T20 International series against a struggling West Indies team with an emphatic 80-run victory in the third and final match at the Arnos Vale Ground in St. Vincent. The win secured Bangladesh’s first 3-0 T20I series sweep in nearly two years and capped a tough tour with a resounding triumph.
The 31-years-old Praught-Leer is Jamaica’s record holder in the 3000m Steeplechase event and represented the country at the 2015 and 2017 IAAF World Championships, as well as the 2016 Olympics, where she qualified for the final.
In addition, the athlete also captured gold in the event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Praught-Leer has, however, contemplated switching events to try her hand at competing in the 1500m.
The athlete had hoped to make her 1500m Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games but like many others had to set aside those plans as the event was postponed due to the onslaught of the coronavirus. She has already begun her quest to qualify for this summer's Games by targeting three events, the 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, and 1500m. She currently has personal best times of 15:07.50 in the 5000m, 9:14.09 seconds in the 3000m steeplechase, and 4:05.52 in the 1500 metres.
Praught-Leer previously represented Under Armour after signing a contract with that brand in 2017, earlier this month, however, she announced via social media that her contract with the company had come to an end.
Jamaica’s cricket fans could be treated to seven nights of international cricket this July when Australia arrives for a Test match and two T20 Internationals, but that excitement hinges on the completion of crucial lighting upgrades at Sabina Park.
Jomel Warrican delivered a match-winning performance with the ball as the West Indies secured a resounding 120-run victory over hosts Pakistan in Multan, levelling the two-Test series 1-1. Warrican's five-wicket haul in the second innings, combined with contributions from his fellow spinners, saw Pakistan bowled out for 133 from their overnight score of 76-4 unravelling within just over an hour on Day Three.
West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach will return to Surrey County Cricket Club for the opening four matches of the Rothesay County Championship, marking his fifth consecutive season with the defending champions.
West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite heaped praise on his team following their resounding 120-run victory over Pakistan in the second Test in Multan on Monday. The victory not only squared the two-match series at 1-1 but also marked the West Indies' first Test win in Pakistan since 1990.
Lendl Simmons smashed a blistering century, and Ravi Rampaul produced a devastating five-wicket haul as the West Indies Masters secured a 29-run victory over South Africa Masters to book their place in the semi-finals of the International Masters T20 League on Tuesday.
At 34, Fraser-Pryce will be one of the oldest women lined up to face the starter's gun, should the event eventually be staged in Tokyo later this year. The 32nd Olympiad was initially slated to be staged last summer but was postponed due to the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.
The postponement of the quadrennial event has meant another year of training and preparation for some legendary athletes facing another race, the one against time. The situation will not be an entirely new one for nine-time World champion and two-time Olympic champion Fraser-Pryce. In 2019, at the age of 32, she became the oldest female sprinter to win a 100m world title. In that event, by comparison, silver medalist, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith was nine years her junior. Showing herself to be very much at the top of her game in 2020, however, despite the havoc the global pandemic wrought on the international schedule, Fraser-Pryce is clearly in the mood to defy the odds yet again.
“Yes, I’m 33, but if I can come back from having my son and be able to stand on the podium, my age is not going to stop me. I’m still going to work hard. I’m still going to be committed and I’m grateful for the years of experience I’ve had,” Fraser-Pryce told the BBC.
"I'm probably older than most of the women in the race but so what? I'm just focusing on getting the job done and being happy."
Rovman Powell has responded with grace and gratitude after being replaced as captain of the West Indies T20 International team, following a Cricket West Indies (CWI) announcement on Monday naming Shai Hope as the new leader heading into the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup.
West Indies T20I captain Rovman Powell has called on his players to use their upcoming time off to review their approach to the game after suffering a humiliating 80-run defeat to Bangladesh in the third T20I at the Arnos Vale Ground in St. Vincent on Thursday. The loss completed a 3-0 series sweep for Bangladesh and capped off a disappointing year for the West Indies T20I side.
Williams, who joined the senior ranks at the start of 2020, was joined by her management team and ‘Santa Claus’ who handed gifts to over 100 children from the community where her mother spent her childhood before migrating to the United States.
The athlete who admitted to having had a good year, despite the negatives of the Covid-19 pandemic, revealed that the event was all about giving back.
“I have been tremendously blessed this year and I wanted to give back to a community that means so much to my family. I wanted every child here to have a Merry Christmas,” Williams said.
The athlete’s Manager Tanya Lee confirms the event will be an annual undertaking, with future changes to its structure to be considered once the world is past the worst of the raging coronavirus pandemic.
"Things changed a little bit because of Covid restrictions, so we’re just driving through the community and handing out gifts responsibly. We will do the treat on a larger scale for next year, God’s willing. I have to big up Digicel, Grace Foods, Sagicor & Nike for their kind donations this year,” Lee said.
Cricketing legend Sir Vivian Richards has expressed his frustration over the West Indies' failure to qualify for the ICC Champions Trophy, urging the regional side to take inspiration from Afghanistan, a team that has made remarkable strides in international cricket.
Both projects will fall within the remit of a government maintenance program geared towards ensuring that money is set aside for upgrading the island's stadiums. According to Grange, resurfacing work at the National Stadium is expected to begin “any time now, with Catherine Hall Sports Complex penciled in as a priority for the next year.
According to Grange two factors will determine when the work gets going at the National Stadium. The first is the fact that the track has to be laid on a completely dried surface, and the process must therefore await the end of seasonal rains. The other factor is the ability of the manufacturers' representatives, BSW of Germany, to leave Germany to come to Jamaica to supervise the project and that will depend on COVID restrictions.
“The material for the resurfacing of the Stadium track is on site. Upgrading after 10 years of usage is now necessary for the track to retain its Class 1 certification by World Athletics, formerly the International Association of Athletics Federations. The track was laid in 2010 with a projected lifespan of eight years. But because of maintenance and care we were able to extend it by another two years to 2020,” Grange said.
“The Government is putting a maintenance/replacement program to ensure that there is money for upgrading stadiums. It is through such a plan for the National Stadium that we have money for a new track. Money was actually put aside for the National Stadium because of proper planning and going forward we will be using that approach for upgrading of the facilities.”
Taplin, now 28, was handed a four-year ban last year after being charged with intentionally evading sample collection, following his 400m victory at the 2019 Grenada Invitational Athletics Competition. The athlete was found to have left the stadium without completing doping control. Taplin appealed the decision, but it was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) earlier this year.
The athlete will, however, also now serve a sequential three-years on that sentence, this time for doping whereabouts violations that occurred in 2019. According to a release issued by the AIU, Taplin was found to have missed tests on the 21st April, August 28th, and 25th of November. Based on the rules, any combination of three missed
tests and/or filing failures within any twelve-month period is considered a violation. The Grenada Invitational Athletics concluded on the 13th of April. On each of the occasions, the report claims a tester showed up at Taplin’s residence in Bryan, Texas, USA, and knocked for an hour before leaving having not received a response.
Taplin, through an attorney, later contested the November 25th missed test after pointing out that he had been required to appear in court at the time of the stated test and did not think there was time to adjust the whereabouts form. After convening a tribunal, the AIU, however, later rejected the explanation provided by the athlete as insufficient. The new three-year ban will take effect once the athlete has concluded the four-year period of ineligibility.
Taplin, who has a PB of 44.38, finished 7th in the 400m at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
