KINGSTON, Jamaica — After shocking the world with her superb performance at the Beijing World Championships last year, Danielle ‘Ants’ Williams was herself surprised when she was named runner-up to the Sportswoman of the Year for 2015.

Williams was left speechless when it was announced that she finished second to World and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at the RJR?Sports Foundation Gala Awards at the Jamaica Pegasus last Friday.

Veteran Veronica Campbell-Brown, Sherone Simpson, Elaine Thompson, Shericka Jackson, swimmer Alia Atkinson, boxer Alicia Ashley, and cricketer Stafanie Taylor were the other nominees for the award.

“I am honoured to even be considered for an award, much less to finish as runner-up to the Sportswoman of the Year.

“It was definitely a surprise; because I told everyone that I was not getting my hopes up to win the award, and I didn’t even know that there was a runner-up category,” Williams told OBSERVER ONLINE. “So I am very surprised and honoured.

“?The soft-spoken athlete claimed the 100m hurdles World Championship title to upset the odds in remarkable fashion at the IAAF World?Championships in the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing, China, in August.

Williams etched her name in the history books when she exhibited superb hurdling form en route to the gold medal in a new personal best time of 12.57 seconds.

The 23-year-old achieved Jamaica’s first gold medal in the event since 2009 when Brigitte Foster-Hylton won the world title in Berlin. She also achieved the feat of being the youngest Jamaican sprint hurdles gold medallist.

“I am always aiming to compete really hard and execute to the best of my ability and it was good enough to win me a medal.”

Sherdon Cowan