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FOUR-TIME OLYMPIC sprint medallist Ato Boldon says his charge, Briana Williams, is ready.
Williams, an Olympic relay gold medallist, is on her way to World Indoor Championships in the Serbian capital of Belgrade to run in an individual championship event as a senior for the first time.
With a personal record of 7.09 seconds set last month, the 19-year-old is Jamaica’s fastest entrant in the 60 metres, an event where Merlene Ottey, Veronica Campbell-Brown and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have triumphed in the past.
The youngster won the 2018 World Under-20 100 and 200 titles and Carifta gold medals aplenty, and Boldon expects her first senior individual assignment to go well.
“She has actually been working harder than ever, harder than last year. She’s fitter than last year, so yes, she is ready,” he said.
He hasn’t noticed any pre-meet jitters from her either.
“No, she’s very comfortable. At the end of the day, she knows it’s not the end of the world. It’s obviously a World Championship but this is not her goal this year. This is an intermediary goal. Worlds and some of her times are big goals, so I don’t get the sense that she feels a lot of pressure, at least not yet,” Boldon explained.
Nevertheless, the coach can see her going fast when the 60 is contested on March 18. “She knows she’s ready to set her PR again,” said Boldon,
“and she wants to do well.”
The heats, semis and final will all be on Friday.
Ewa Swoboda of Poland, who holds a recent victory over superstar Elaine Thompson Herah, leads the world at 6.99. Americans Mary Beth Sant-Price, 7.04, and Mikiah Brisco, 7.07, will be medal contenders. So will Swiss star Mujinga Kambundji, who edged Thompson Herah to the bronze at the last World Indoors in 2018.
Kambundji, who was third in the 200 metres at the outdoor World Championship in 2019, clocked 7.05 seconds on February 26.
“It’s going to be a great contest but Briana is capable of going there, once she executes, she’s capable of going there and performing, and, for me, there’s a bigger picture here,” Boldon figured.
“I would love Briana to come home with a medal, of course, but to me, this is a chance for her to continue to test herself against grown women in high-pressure situations, and that’s always been important to me.”
Williams was fourth in the 100 metres at last year’s Jamaican Championships and missed the chance to run as an individual at the Olympics where Thompson Herah, Fraser Pryce and Shericka Jackson went 1-2-3. Jackson has run 7.12 seconds for the 60 metres.
Jamaica has good history in the event.
Ottey won Jamaica’s first 60-metre World title in 1995. She holds the national record of 6.96 seconds, which was the first sub-seven clocking in history.
sports@gleanerjm.com
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