Briana Williams
Briana Williams is a Jamaican sprinter specialising in the 100m and 200m. She won Olympic 4 × 100m relay gold for Jamaica at Tokyo 2020 and became the youngest athlete to complete the 100m and 200m double at the World U20 Championships, aged 16, in Tampere in 2018.
Olympic champion, 4 × 100m
World U20 100m & 200m champion
10.94
24 June 2022
22.50
14 July 2018
7.04
18 March 2022
41.02
National record · 6 August 2021
Athlete Profile
Career
Jacksonville · Tampere
At the Bob Hayes Invitational in Jacksonville on 17 March 2018, she ran 11.13 for the 100m, a world best for a 15-year-old. The mark it replaced, 11.17, had stood to Marion Jones of the USA since 1 June 1991, almost 27 years earlier.
Two weeks later, she won the U17 100m, 200m and 4 × 100m relay at the CARIFTA Games, setting championship records in the 100m and relay. In July, she won both individual sprint titles at the World U20 Championships in Tampere.
CARIFTA · Kingston
Williams won three U20 gold medals at the 2019 CARIFTA Games. She then ran 11.10 at the JAC Open on 1 June, setting Jamaican U18 and U20 records. A week later, she clocked 11.02 at the Great Southwest Classic to regain the U20 mark.
At the Jamaican Championships on 21 June, Williams clocked 10.94 at the age of 17, initially setting a national youth mark.
During that meeting, she returned a positive test for the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. She bore no fault and served no ban. Her results from the championships were deleted, the 10.94 with them.
Williams received the Austin Sealy Award at the 2018 and 2019 CARIFTA Games. In 2019, she also won the NACAC U18 100m title in Mexico and a Pan American U20 title in Costa Rica, and earned nominations for major rising-star awards.
Tokyo
Williams began in the 2021 over 60m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in New York in February, continuing her preparations for the outdoor sprint season.
On 30 May at the JAC Summer Open, she ran 11.19 in the heats and 11.01 in the final, a Jamaican U20 record. At the American Track League meeting the next day, she clocked a wind-assisted 10.97 and a legal 10.98.
She finished fourth in the 100m at Jamaica’s national championships in June, clocking 11.01, and did not qualify for the individual Olympic event. She received gold as a member of Jamaica’s Olympic 4 × 100m relay squad, which set a national record of 41.02 in Tokyo.
Kingston · Glasgow
In 2022, Williams ran 7.04 over 60m and recorded her legal 100m personal best of 10.94. Her faster 10.91 performance had wind assistance above the permitted limit.
In June 2022, Williams became the sixth Jamaican woman to run under 11 seconds that season. She went on to earn 4 × 100m relay silver at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships.
On 22 September 2022, after a decade under Ato Boldon, she moved from Florida to Kingston and joined Titans International Track Club, coached by Gregory Little and Michael Frater. She won at the Camperdown Classic in February 2023.
She reached the 60m semi-finals at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow and did not compete indoors in 2025.
She reached the 60m semi-finals at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow and did not compete indoors in 2025.
Career Statistics and Honours
| Date | Mark | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Mar 2018 | 11.13, 100m | World best for a 15-year-old |
| 14 Jul 2018 | 22.50, 200m | Personal best, Tampere |
| 1 Jun 2019 | 11.10, 100m | Jamaican under-18 and under-20 record |
| Jun 2019 | 11.02, 100m | Great Southwest Classic, Albuquerque |
| 30 May 2021 | 11.01, 100m | Jamaican under-20 record |
| 6 Aug 2021 | 41.02, 4x100m | Jamaican national record |
| 18 Mar 2022 | 7.04, 60m | personal best |
| 24 Jun 2022 | 10.94, 100m | personal best |
| 20 Feb 2026 | 7.27, 60m | second at the Arkansas Qualifier |
Briana Williams’ International Career
Williams has represented Jamaica in sprint relays at the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Athletics Relays. Her junior titles include individual 100m and 200m golds.
| Championship | Result |
|---|---|
| Olympic Games, Tokyo 2021 | 4x100m relay gold |
| World Championships, 2022 and 2023 | 4x100m relay silver |
| World Athletics Relays, Gaborone 2026 | 4x100m relay gold |
| World Under-20 Championships, Tampere 2018 | 100m and 200m gold |
| CARIFTA Games, 2019, under-20 | 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold |
| CARIFTA Games, 2018, under-17 | 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold |
| NACAC Under-18 Championships, Mexico 2019 | 100m gold |
| Pan American Under-20 Championships, Costa Rica 2019 | gold |
2026 Season and Results
Fayetteville · 60m · 7.27
Williams opened her indoor season over 60m at the Arkansas Qualifier, held at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, on 20 February 2026. She led the qualifying rounds. Second in the final: 7.27 to Grizell Scarlett’s 7.25, Samirah Moody third in 7.37.
Gaborone · 4x100m · 42.00
On 3 May 2026 she led off Jamaica’s 4x100m team at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, handing off to Jodean Williams and Lavanya Williams before Elaine Thompson-Herah anchored in 42.00. Canada took second in 42.17, a national record, and Spain third in 42.31.