A Jamaican American, South Florida teen has turned the CARIFTA Games upside down and put the eyes of track and field on her, after winning triple gold for Jamaica over the Easter Weekend and claiming the standout honor.
Oakland Park Northeast Florida High sophomore, Briana Nichole Williams, running for her parents’ homeland of Jamaica at the just concluded 2018 CARIFTA Games in Nassau in the Bahamas, walked away with the three gold medals for her adopted country.
Williams won the Girls 100-meter Under 17 Dash in the fastest time for a 16-year-old and also win the 200-m under 17 dash on Monday, in a time of 23.11. She then helped Jamaica to a gold in the Girl’s 4×100 Meter Relay Under 17 Monday, in a time of 44.95.
Wins Austin Sealy Award
For her stellar performance, Williams was presented with the Austin Sealy Award, the top honor for any athlete at the Games. The teen is the first Jamaican to win the award since Yohan Blake in 2007.
“Words can’t even express the joy I feel right now. All the work all the doubts all the pain all the pressure. Totally worth it!!!,” Williams, who also lives in Oakland Park, posted on Instagram Monday.
Coached by Ato Bolden
Williams is coached by Ato Boldon, who, was full of praise for the sprinter.
“I’m thrilled for her,” said Boldon shortly after Williams received her award Monday evening from Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Alexander Minnis. “Last year, she left Carifta with one bronze but we knew we’d be back. She’s a different athlete this year – a year older in age, but she’s grown as an athlete by leaps and bounds. She’s close to world class.”
Also full of praise for the young star was Irwine Clare, founder of the Diaspora group that supports Caribbean athletes at the Penn Relays. Williams, according to Clare, is also one of the beneficiaries of TJB’s work at Penn.
With Williams’ help, Jamaica finished with a massive medal haul of 80 medals, the most of any country at the Games.
The CARIFTA Games’ win comes on the heels of Williams’ win on Saturday, March 17th, when she won the 100-m at the Bob Hayes Invitational in Jacksonville, Florida in 11.13s, a world age group records for 15-year-olds. In doing so, she broke a 27-year-old record of 11.17s set by
