Briana Williams, Michelle Lee-Ahye and Shericka Jackson all advanced to the final of the Women’s 60m at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade on Friday.

Williams followed up her personal best 7.06 in the heats with a time of 7.07 to win the third semi-final ahead of Lee-Ahye who ran 7.12 for second place and an automatic berth in the final.

Jackson came third in the first semi-final and qualified as one of the fastest losers with a personal best of 7.08. The final is scheduled for later on Friday.

Stephenie Ann-McPherson won semi-final one of the Women’s 400m in 51.26 ahead of Femke Bol (51.28). Aliyah Abrams of Guyana finished third in 51.57 to also advance to the final. Shaunae Miller-Uibo looked in ominous form, easily winning semi-final two in a comfortable season’s best 51.38.

Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago put himself in position for a medal when he won his semi-final heat in 46.15.

It was bad news for Christopher Taylor who appeared to suffer an injury and did not finish his semi-final heat.

The Women’s and Men's 400m finals are scheduled for Saturday.

Briana Williams ran a lifetime best to cruise into the semi-final round of the Women’s 60m dash as she debuted at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade on Friday morning Caribbean time.

If Ato Boldon’s words are anything to go by, we should expect big things from his pupil Briana Williams at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

Williams, who was selected on Jamaica’s team for the 60m, started her season on January 14 at the Purple Tiger meet in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with times of 7.20 in the preliminaries and 7.18 in the final.

On January 29^th, the Olympic 4x100m relay gold medallist ran 7.22 to finish fourth at the Millrose Games in New York. She returned to New York a week later at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix running 7.09 in the preliminaries, a personal best, and 7.11 in the final.

“The Briana that ran 7.19 in January and 7.09 in February has improved steadily and I think she’s ready to be a factor in Serbia,” Boldon, the four-time Olympic and two-time World Championship medallist, said in an interview with Sportsmax.Tv.

“Is there another 60m PR coming? I believe so. That’s why we are going,” he added.

The World Indoor Championships will be held from Friday, March 18-Sunday, March 20 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Ewa Swoboda (6.99), Marybeth Sant-Price (7.04), Mujinga Kambundji (7.05), and Mikiah Briscoe (7.07) are the only participants that have gone faster than Williams this season.

Tokyo Olympics relay gold medallist Briana Williams got her birthday celebrations off to an early start this week.

World-leader in the 60m hurdles Danielle Williams, Britany Anderson and Natoya Goule are among the medal contenders named to Jamaica’s team to the World Indoor Championships in Serbia from March 18-20.

Williams set a world-leading time of 7.75 at Clemson on February 11, which makes her a medal favourite for the championships. Anderson, 21, ran a lifetime best of 7.82 in Louisville, Kentucky, making her fourth-best in the world this year. Besides her compatriot, only Americans Kendra Harrison and Alia Armstrong, who have both run 7.81 have gone faster.

Goule, who ran world-leading times twice so far this season, has the second-fastest time in the world over 800m this indoor season. Her 1:58:46 set in France on February 17, is only bettered by Keely Hodgkinson's 1:57.20 set in Birmingham on February 19.

The 19-member team also includes Briana Williams, whose 7.09 makes her the second-fastest Jamaican and sixth-fastest in the world over 60m this year and Shericka Jackson, whose personal best of 7.12 makes her the third-fastest Jamaican and tied for 14th in the world for 2022.

The female dominant team also includes Danielle Thomas-Dodd for the shot put, Kimberly Williams in the triple jump as well as Roneisha McGregor and Stephenie-Ann McPherson for the 400m.

 Junelle Bromfield, who is an alternate for the 400m, Tiffany James, Tovea Jenkins, Janieve Russell as well as McPherson and McGregor comprise the 4x400m relay squad.

Christopher Taylor has been named for the 400m while Ronald Levy will go in the 60m hurdles and Nigel Ellis will compete in the 60m dash.

Jamaica’s Olympic gold medallist Briana Williams will be made available to represent Jamaica at the 2022 World Indoor Championships in Belgrade from March 18-20.

After a disappointing 60m run at the Millrose Games in New York on January 29, Briana Williams ran a massive personal best at the New Balance Grand Prix on Staten Island, New York on Sunday but her coach believes she can go even faster once she breaks out of her ‘starting slump’.

If she can before March, a medal at the World Indoor Athletics Championships could be in the offing.

The 19-year-old Olympic gold medalist opened her season equaling her previous lifetime best of 7.18 at the Purple Tiger meet in Louisiana on January 14 but after promising to go even faster at the Millrose Games, two weeks later, she finished a disappointing fourth in 7.22.

To rub salt into her emotional wound, Williams, the youngest ever Jamaican Olympic gold medalist was beaten by 16-year-old Shawnti Jackson, who equalled the Jamaican’s lifetime best of 7.18, which for her was a personal best as well as an American high school record.

Fast-forward to Sunday and the preliminary heats of the 60m dash where Williams exploded to a brand new personal best of 7.09, which at the time, was the second-fastest time in the world this year. It was the fastest time going into the final that was won by Mikiah Brisco, who caught Williams late in the race before edging in front to record a new world lead of 7.07.

Williams ran her second-fastest time ever, 7.11, for second place.

Her times of 7.09 and 7.11 make her the fastest Jamaican in the world this year, 0.05 faster than Kemba Nelson’s 7.16 set a week ago and 0.14 faster than Kevona Davis’ 7.25.

“My coach and I knew this was coming. It was just for me to have the patience and the right race,” said Williams after her races on Sunday.

“I was happy with my personal best in the preliminaries and to follow that up with 7.11 in the final. There are still things to work on as you can see from the final, but I'm happy with my finish today.”

Among the things she has to work on is getting back the electric start that had defined her career to date as one of the best in the world but which has seemingly deserted her recently.

Williams’ coach, Ato Boldon, believes Williams is primed to go faster but her start has become an issue of concern.

“This is just her third race of the season, her rhythm is better and she is out of the weight room. We still have things to figure out. She is still not starting well,” he said, suggesting that he believes it’s all in her head.

“She is thinking about it. It’s a starting slump.”

Boldon said he would rate her performances on Sunday as an eight-out-ten, believing that once she gets back to instinctively starting well, she will go faster; seven-zero-low.

Jamaica’s Olympic relay gold medalist Briana Williams will line up against a stacked field in the 60m at Saturday’s Millrose Games at The Armory New Balance Track & Field Center in New York and she is excited by the prospect of the possibilities of what she can deliver.

The 19-year-old Williams will face the likes of Aleia Hobbs and Mikiah Brisco both of whom defeated her in Louisiana, a fortnight ago. Also in the line-up is two-time Olympian English Gardner and Tokyo Olympics 200m bronze medalist Gabby Thomas.

The 2018 World U20 champion, who has been working on her speed these past two weeks, said she is relishing the challenge.

“I feel excited and ready because I've been doing well in training and I’ve focused more on speed work this week to gear up for this meet. The 60m field is loaded so I can’t wait to see how I do,” said the talented teen who is hardly ever daunted by the occasion.

Meanwhile, her coach Ato Boldon sees this as another opportunity for Williams to get more accustomed to competing at the senior level.

“The line-up for the Millrose Games will be a great challenge for Briana as she works through being calm under pressure, which is critical for senior-level competition,” he said.

Williams is one of track and field’s most promising young athletes. She was a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where she became the youngest Jamaican ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

Jamaican sprinter, Briana Williams, equalled her indoor 60m personal best of 7.18 seconds to finish third at the 2022 LSU Purple Tiger Invitational on Friday.

After running 7.20 in her heat to advance, Williams finished third in the final behind the American pair of Aleia Hobbs who ran 7.10 for the win, and Mikiah Briscoe who ran 7.17 for second.

Williams had previously run 7.18 in New York in February 2020.

A double sprint world junior champion in 2018, Williams represented Jamaica as a senior for the first time last year at the Tokyo Olympics, running the opening leg on Jamaica's gold medal-winning 4x100m relay team.

The 19-year-old currently has personal bests of 10.97 in the 100m and 22.50 in the 200m.

The communities of Paradise and Norwood, in Montego Bay, experienced some Christmas cheer as the destinations for Jamaican sprinter Briana Williams’ 2nd annual Christmas Treat on Thursday.

300 children in the communities were gifted toys and food items from her sponsors Digicel and Grace Foods.

Transportation for the gifts was provided by KIG Jamaica.

The 19-year-old was a member of Jamaica’s gold medal-winning Women’s 4x100 team at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, running a blistering first leg to help the team achieve a national record of 41.02.

Williams also won the sprint double at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland with times of 11.16 in the 100m and 22.50 in the 200m, her current personal best.

Her 100m personal best stands at 10.97 done in Florida in June this year.

Three track and field meets have been scheduled in 2022 for the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, the training base of Olympic gold medalist Briana Williams and the home for a new life-size statue of the greatest sprinter of all time, Usain Bolt.

Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medalist and an 11-time World Champion, owns the world records for 100m (9.58), 200m (19.19) and the 4x100 meters relay (36.84).

The Miramar Invitational (Saturday, April 9, 2022), the Coach O Invitational (Saturday, June 11, 2022) and the NACAC New Life Invitational (Sunday, June 12, 2022) will be held at the complex where the city will pay tribute to the Jamaican and global sprint icon, Miramar Commissioner Alexandra Davis announced via a public statement on Tuesday.

“Artist Basil Watson has been commissioned to create the sculpture in Usain Bolt’s iconic “TO THE WORLD” pose from a position of kneeling on one knee,” Davis said.

 “I proposed the Art in Public Places ordinance to be able to promote art throughout the City.  The sculpture of the international and world-renowned track and field athlete will be funded in part by the Art in Public Places Fund as well as the Art in the Parks capital project.

“It will spur on economic development and serve as an inspiration for up-and-coming athletes of all ages and backgrounds.”

The monument is expected to be ready to be mounted by October 2022.

In 2021, the Ansin Sports Complex hosted two track meets that attracted hundreds of international athletes, more than 5,000 spectators and 30,000 international viewers via live stream.

At the Miramar Invitational that was held on Saturday, April 10, 2021, more than 160 international athletes including Justin Gatlin, Mike Rodgers, Ajee Wilson, Natoya Goule and Grant Holloway.

Akeem Bloomfield, Briana Williams, English Gardner, Kahmari Montgomery, Mike Rodgers, Kendra Harrison, Wil London and Elaine Thompson also participated at the meet.

It was also at that meet that Sha’Carri Richardson set a lifetime best 10.72 seconds to win the 100m. The performance moved her to the sixth all-time in the 100m.

On Saturday, June 5, 2021, the NACAC New Life Invitational- World Athletics featured approximately 200 international athletes, of which over 100 were Olympic qualifying athletes including Zachary Campbell, Jeims Molina and Kaden Cartwright.

It was there that Williams broke her national U20 record running 10.93 seconds before going on to become the youngest Jamaican to win an Olympic gold medal as a member of Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team in Tokyo.

The USA’s Trayvon Bromell also set his personal best and world-leading time of 9.77 seconds at this event.

“We were so thrilled to have welcomed these talented athletes and have them take advantage of the world-class amenities including the FTX Mondo Olympic track at Ansin Sports Complex. We look forward to hosting more international track and field competitions in 2022,” said Davis.

Over his 40-year career, Watson has completed major works in Guatemala, China, Jamaica, and the U.S.  Some of his major commissions include “Ring of Life” in London, “Martin Luther King” in Atlanta and “Cradle-The Future in our Hands” in Fulton County, Georgia.

Tokyo Olympics relay gold medalist Briana Williams was among several persons honoured with Heritage Awards in Sunrise, Florida on Sunday. The 19-year-old Olympian was recognized for her youth leadership and her broader influence across the globe.

Jamaica’s Olympic relay gold medalist Briana Williams has been named among Athletics Weekly’s (AW) nominees for International Junior Athlete Female for 2021.

Olympic medalists Ronald Levy and Briana Williams as well as Natasha Morrison and Jaheel Hyde enjoyed podium finishes at the ISTAF Berlin meeting in Germany on Sunday.

Olympic gold medalist Briana Williams is aiming for a brand new personal best when she lines up against the world’s fastest women over 100m at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday.