Nikisha Pryce etched her name in history on Saturday by running an astounding 48.89 seconds in the 400m on the final day of the 2024 NCAA National Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. In doing so, Pryce not only shattered the two-decade-old Jamaican national record held by Lorraine Fenton but also set a new collegiate record and the world-leading time for the year.

Pryce's performance was the highlight of an incredible day for the University of Arkansas, as she led a Razorback 'super sweep', with their athletes finishing in the top four positions to secure 29 critical points, propelling the team to the national women's title.

Fenton, the now former Jamaica national record holder whose 49.30 mark stood for over 20 years, expressed her joy at Pryce's achievement. "I’m happy for Nikisha. Twenty plus years is a long time for a record to stand. I wish her and other Jamaican 400m runners the very best,” Fenton said, acknowledging the monumental nature of Pryce's accomplishment.

Shericka Williams, who recently shared the second-fastest Jamaican 400m time with Pryce, was equally impressed. "Her performance was exceptional. She ran a well-distributed race; she was just floating down the track effortlessly. While watching the race I was watching the clock at 350m and she was still going strong, very impressive!" Williams noted.

Williams also offered advice to Pryce, emphasizing the importance of focus and hard work. "She just needs to focus on trials and then after just continue to train hard and get ready for the Olympics and remain focused on her goals," she advised.

Pryce attributed her record-breaking run to the meticulous guidance of her coach, Chris Johnson. "I did what my coach told me to do, execute the race properly and that's what I did," she said.

Coach Johnson, in his first year as Head Coach of the University of Arkansas Track Programme, has led the team to both NCAA Indoor and Outdoor national titles. He praised Pryce's exceptional talent and the collective effort of his team. "That's the goal. That's the Arkansas tradition so we're just trying to uphold the tradition. I was blessed with a great team and we have great coaches, great staff and everybody is invested so we just want to be able to represent the Hogs really well. Go out and compete to the best of our ability. Winning is the goal and we were able to get it done and obviously we have some special ladies and this young lady broke the Jamaican national record, the collegiate national record and is the fastest time in the world and we are just elated by it," Johnson said.

Pryce and her teammates capped off a phenomenal championship by obliterating the NCAA record in the 4x400m relay. The quartet of Pryce, Kaylyn Brown, Amber Anning, and Rosey Effiong ran an incredible 3:17.96, smashing their own record by almost four seconds and winning by a significant margin ahead of Tennessee (3:23.32) and Texas (3:23.68).

Nikisha Pryce's historic run marks a new era for Jamaican 400m runners, with her performance setting a new benchmark and inspiring the next generation of athletes to reach even greater heights.

When Nikisha Pryce clocked a lifetime best of 49.32 seconds at the Southeastern Conference Championships in Gainesville, Florida on May 11, one of the keen observers was Shericka Williams. Now 38 years old and residing in the United States, Williams currently shares with Pryce the title of second-fastest Jamaican woman ever to run the 400m. Pryce's time sits just two-thousandths of a second shy of Lorraine Graham’s national record of 49.30, set in Monaco 22 years ago.

Williams, a three-time Olympic silver medalist who also won five silver medals at the World Championships, came agonizingly close to breaking the national record herself at the 2009 championships in Berlin, where she finished as runner-up to Jamaican-born American Sanya Richards.

Having closely followed Pryce’s progression over the years, Williams expressed her belief in the 23-year-old SEC champion’s potential to surpass Fenton’s longstanding record. In an exclusive chat with Sportsmax.TV, Williams shared her insights: “I have been watching her progress and how much she has grown in the event. I do believe she has the ability to break the national record if she remains focused, continues to stay healthy, and avoids overworking herself.”

Reflecting on Pryce’s athletic prowess, Williams continued, “We both share the joint second-fastest time. From observing her performances indoors and outdoors, she runs smoothly with apparent ease, and her 200m speed complements her 400m ability. Lorraine’s record has stood for years, and despite attempts from myself, Novelene (Williams), and others, it remains unbroken. I hope Nikisha can achieve this feat and also secure a spot on the Olympic team, reaching the final and delivering a performance worthy of a medal.”

Williams, who shares a similar physique to Pryce, believes that breaking the record is within reach. Recalling her near-miss in 2009, she noted, “I was in 48-second shape going into the championships based on my training. However, I didn’t execute my race properly; my third 100 meters was too slow. Breaking the record hinges on how well you manage each 100 meters, and with the leg speed I possessed, I truly believe I could have set a new record, but unfortunately, I couldn’t get my race strategy right.”

Despite her near-miss, Williams holds high hopes for Pryce, the current senior at the University of Arkansas. “I wish her all the best, and I will be cheering her on,” Williams concluded, expressing optimism that Pryce could achieve what she and many others have aimed for but fallen short of accomplishing.