Williams coming into her own
Published:Wednesday | June 21, 2023 | 1:19 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
COMING INTO her own in what is her first professional seasion, quarter-miler Stacy Ann Williams says that she has been staying the course in a transition that has tested her but also pushed her towards the goal of making another World Athletics Championship team.
Williams registered her second win of the season, clocking 51.08 seconds in the second of the JAAA Budapest Quest series at the National Stadium on the weekend.
According to Williams, coming to terms with life as a professional since graduating from the University of Texas has been a grind.
“I think the first hurdle for me was mastering practice. It is a hard stransition from running on the collegiate level to running professionally,” Williams said.
The breakthrough for her this season came in her second 400-metre race where she clocked a personal best 50.12 at the Tom Jones Memorial Meet in Florida on April 15, making her the fastest Jamaican so far this season as well as pushed her world ranking to ninth.
A strong camp at Elite Performance has helped, says Williams, with the advantage of her teammates and coaches in her corner to guide her impossible to overstate.
“My second race of the of season was pretty good. I felt like I have a lot of motivation from the other athletes in the club and also from the coaching staff in general,” Williams said.
“Every race has been a challenge, working on different things to just see what racing strategy fits me best.”
It is a process that she hopes will lead her to make her first World Championship team as a sole competitior after only managing relay roles at the Tokyo Olympics, as well as the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, last year.
Williams feels that she is in a good place with the National Championships approaching next month.
“I’m looking for an individual spot on the team and not just competing in the relays. I am just looking forward to great things and I am just excited,” Williams said.
“I am looking forward to running personal bests in the races coming up and just to taking it one race at a time.”