FULL STRIDE AHEAD
GREGORY Little, coach of blossoming Jamaican sprinter Briana Williams, says he is delighted with the hard work and dedication his charge has shown in training as she sets her sights on lowering her personal best time in the 100 metres this season.
Williams, who has a personal best time of 10.94 seconds, joined the Titans International Track Club — led by Little and Micheal Frater — at the end of this season after parting ways with long-time coach, Trinidadian Olympian Ato Boldon.
Little told the Jamaica Observer that his coaching staff have been working assiduously to improve on Williams’ race flaws, and she has been responding well to the rigors of the training that she is currently undergoing.
“She has been doing very well. We are working on some technical parts of her race and she has been putting in the work and she is also adapting to the programme…she is looking pretty good so far in training,” said Little.
“It is tough for her but she is trying and she is doing the work that she needs to do. I am trying to get her a lot stronger in the last part of her race, and I believe once she masters that last part of the race she will definitely be in the top three on local soil — and that is what we are working on,” he added.
Williams’ time of 10.94 seconds ranked her as the fifth-fastest Jamaican woman last season behind reigning world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.62), Shericka Jackson (10.71), Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.79), and Kemba Nelson (10.88).
Little shared that the 20-year-old Williams, who became the youngest athlete to win the sprint double at the 2018 World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland, at 16 years old, will have to significantly lower her personal time in order to break into the top three at this year’s National Senior Championships. However, he noted that she is on track to achieving that feat and once she remains healthy and focused, the sky’s the limit.
“In order for her to finish in the top three she has to run a personal best, for sure. She is adapting to the programme and it is going to take time so we can’t call any time on her as yet…definitely we are working towards that for now, which is getting her to lower her time,” Little said.
“She is confident and she is excited and she loves the training so far…she is enjoying it. And once she masters the programme then I believe that she will do very well,” he said.