Delano Williams’ switch to Britain now official
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Former Munro College standout sprinter Delano Williams has completed his switch of allegiance from the Turks and Caicos Islands to Great Britain and is eligible to compete for them “with immediate effect”, it was announced earlier this week.
A release from British Athletics this week confirmed that “sprinter Delano Williams (coached by Neil Harrison) has completed the IAAF transfer of allegiance and is now eligible to compete for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland team in international competition with immediate effect”.
The move was also announced in the IAAF’s monthly bulletin issued on Tuesday.
One of the most successful foreign athletes to ever compete at the Jamaican high school championships level, Williams won nine medals at Boys’ Championships, including back-to-back Class One sprint double titles, the first that was achieved in nearly 50 years.
Williams, who won several gold medals for Turks and Caicos at various championships, last competed for the island nation at last year’s IAAF World Junior Championships, where he won the 200m gold medal.
Last year he attempted to make the Great Britain team to the Olympics in London but was fourth in the 200m finals at the British Trials at Crystal Palace, narrowly missing out on a place.
He holds dual citizenship for both Turks & Caicos and Great Britain & Northern Ireland due to TCI’s status as a British overseas territory.
So far, this year, his 20.27 seconds done at Champs in March makes him the fastest man from Great Britain with James Ellington next with 20.42 seconds with a maximum allowable win of 2.0 metres per second, Daniel Talbot 20.45 seconds and David Bolarinwa 20.60 seconds the next best.
The British Trials will be held in early July and Williams, who graduated from Munro last Sunday, is expected to make the Great Britain team to the IAAF World Championships then.
According to the release, Williams said: “I am very pleased that my transfer of allegiance has been confirmed, and I am excited to be aiming towards a British team this summer.”
