Photo: Christania Williams makes up part of the MVP sweep of the women’s 100m finals at the National Senior Athletics Championships on Friday night. Williams (left) celebrates with winner Elaine Thompson (centre) and defending Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (right)
Standing in the way of the Olympics for MVP sprinter Christania Williams were seven ladies who had done well enough to qualifying for the 100m final at the Jamaica National Senior Athletics Championships.
The pre-meeting favourites for most persons included the likes of Veronica Campbell-Brown, Elaine Thompson and defending Olympic champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.
Williams however, came into the championships with a season’s best effort of 11.07 seconds done at the Racers Grand Prix Meet in June.
She won her heat on the opening day with 11.20 seconds into a -3.3 m/s headwind, before advancing to the final with a time of 11.10 seconds on the second day.
In the final, Williams never lost focus. Casting aside that fear of her opposition, she concentrated solely on what was in front of her. And when the gun sounded, the former Edwin Allen High athlete kept pace with her club mates, Thompson and Fraser-Pyrce to cross the finish line in a new personal best time of 10.97 seconds.
Thompson won the event in a national record equalling time of 10.70 seconds ahead of Fraser-Pryce in 10.93 seconds.
“Well I must thank God that I finished healthy. I am happy right now making the team to Rio. It will definitely be an experience for me,” Williams noted.
The University of Technology student was however quick to point out that even with her fast time, she still has a lot of work to do to get to her full potential and will now return to the drawing board in an effort to get things perfect for the August 5- 21 Olympics.
“I know that I have great start and I am satisfied with that, but I need to work on my last forty metres,” said the 21 year old Williams.
Williams’s 10.97 performance landed her in the number 11 position on the world rankings for 2016 and fourth fastest Jamaican woman for the season.
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