‘I came here to dominate,’ says Champs debutant Lavanya Williams
Lavanya Williams of Rusea’s High did not have the same beginning to her Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships career like most of her peers.
Most girls who participate at the championships begin at Class Four, but Williams, who is in Class Three, made her debut on Tuesday.
Primed for her first appearance at the championships after crowning herself in glory with a double gold medal performance at the Western Athletics Championships recently, the diminutive sprinter took that confidence into her first final on Thursday, to win the 100m final in 12.18 seconds.
Speaking with supreme confidence Williams said that things had gone to plan at her first Champs.
“I feel so happy, I trained so hard for this. I have it in my heart that I can win, so I came here today to dominate,” said Williams.
Williams said she felt no pressure heading into her first final, as her training had prepared her for the occasion.
“I didn’t feel any pressure because I have fast athletes at my school, so I know how fast other athletes would be so I can cope with it.”
She disclosed that preparation had been difficult, as she had to find ways to balance school with track and field.
“I have to go to class, then I have to go to training. Sometimes I am in training and then I have to go to class, and it’s very difficult,” she explained.
The champs debutant was able to remain calm and get the job done despite her lack of experience at this level.
“I felt very confident, but when you are too overconfident you know you will fail sometimes, so I was just calm and easy throughout the competition,” Williams said.
When asked what was the advice given to her by her coach before the final, the answer was clear and simple: “I can win and I must win.”
Williams will be confident of her chances of winning a second gold medal at the championships when she runs in the 200m final today as she heads into the contest with the fastest time of 25.12 seconds run in the semi-finals yesterday.
— Dwayne Richards
