Jamaica’s 2016 Rio Olympic silver medalist, Christania Williams, has expressed her overwhelming emotions after securing her first-ever podium finish as a bobsleigh athlete at the European Championships in Lillehammer on Sunday.

Williams, competing as the brake woman for Katrin Beierl, clocked a combined time of 1:44.89, just 0.49 seconds behind the gold-medal-winning German duo of Laura Nolte and Leonie Kluwig, who posted 1:44.40. The German dominance continued as Kim Kalicki and Leonie Fiebig secured silver with 1:44.42, while Lisa Buckwitz and Kira Lipperheide took bronze in 1:44.70.

Following the remarkable performance, Williams took to social media to share her emotions:

“Still lost for words. I can’t express the feeling, I just know it felt similar to something I’ve felt before back in 2016.”

Her journey into bobsleigh began just weeks ago, and she has already made a massive impact.

“I did my first competition as a bobsleigh athlete in Innsbruck (three weeks ago), setting a start-time record for Austria at 5.49. The second one should’ve been in St. Moritz, but that was cancelled,” she posted on Instagram.

Despite the setback, Williams and Beierl put together an outstanding run in Lillehammer, where they finished 4th in both the European Championship and the IBSF World Cup.

Williams, who made her mark as a sprinter before transitioning to bobsleigh, reflected on the unexpected joy she has found in her new sport:

“Who would’ve thought 9 years later I’d get those same feelings back? The rush, the excitement, my smile, the drive of just wanting to do more,” she declared.

She also expressed her gratitude to her teammate, Katrin Beierl, for believing in her, adding:

“Thanks to @kati.beierl for believing. I’m enjoying my new chapter with you.”

Williams' transition from the track to the ice has been nothing short of inspiring, and her impressive performances so early in her bobsleigh career suggest that more podium finishes could be on the horizon.