(SPORTSMAX) – Olympic gold medallist Briana Williams is aiming for a brand new personal best (PB) when she lines up against the world’s fastest women over 100m at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon today.
The 19-year-old Williams, the lead-off runner on Jamaica’s women 4x100m relay team that won the gold medal in a national record of 41.02s at the Tokyo Olympics, is the youngest in the field but wants to go well below her PB of 10.97 that she run at the Anstin Sports Complex in Florida in June.
“My coach keeps saying I still haven’t run the time he was expecting this season. I’m looking forward to lining up with these amazing women to see if the field can push me to a personal best,” said Williams, who is still mourning the loss of her grandmother Vive Colquhoun-Simpson, who died as the teenager was competing in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, her coach, Ato Boldon believes Williams has earned this moment.

“She is running well and has earned her spot. I expect her to perform well, as she does in all the big races,” he said.
“Training indicates she will be competitive here. I told her to enjoy it. Everyone else your age is at home watching it. You’re in it.”
The Prefontaine Classic 100m Women’s final includes the fastest woman alive, Elaine Thompson-Herah, who ran an Olympic record of 10.61 while winning gold in Tokyo, Shelly-Ann Fraser, who ran a lifetime best of 10.63 in June and Sha’Carri Richardson, whose personal best of 10.72 was run in April.
Also in the line-up are Shericka Jackson, who set a brand new personal best of 10.76 while winning the Olympic bronze medal and Marie Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast, who was fourth at the Olympic Games after having run a lifetime best of 10.78 in the semi-finals.