Christania Williams

Christania Williams
Personal information
Born (1994-10-17) 17 October 1994
Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica[1]
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
Country Jamaica
 Austria
SportAthletics
Bobsleigh
Event(s)
100 metres
Two-woman
Medal record
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m relay
World Championships
2017 London 4×100 m relay
Commonwealth Games
2018 Gold Coast 100 m
2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m relay
World Youth Championships
2011 Lille Medley relay
2011 Lille 100 m

Christania Simone Williams (born 17 October 1994) is a Jamaican sprinter and an Austrian bobsledder, who was a medalist in the women’s 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 World Championships, as well as winning silver medals in the 100 metres and 4x100m relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She finished ninth in the two-woman bobsleigh event at the 2026 Winter Olympics.[2]

She is the only athlete (other than those doing the same compulsorily due to the Reunification of Germany, the Breakup of Yugoslavia or the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia), who competed at a Summer Olympic Games for one country and a Winter Olympic Games for another.

Athletics career

Born in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, Williams attended Oracabessa High School before transferring to Edwin Allen High School in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica. In 2011, her time of 11.39 seconds for the 100 metres moved her to the top of the world U18 list. She was a bronze medalist in the 100 metres at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Lille, France, also winning a gold medal in the medley relay at the championships.[3] In 2014, she ran 11.19 seconds to win the senior ISSA Boys’ and Girls’ Championships. She started her professional athletics career at the MVP Track Club under head coach Stephen Francis. Howvever, she missed the 2015 Jamaican senior trials due to a hamstring injury.[3]

Williams ran below 11 seconds for the 100 metres in 2016, with a personal best time of 10.97 seconds to place third in the Jamaican Olympic Trials.[3][4] Williams represented Jamaica at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro where she was a finalist in the women's 100 metres event, lowering her personal best to 10.96 seconds.[3][5][6] She won a silver medal in the women's 4 x 100 metres at the Games, running in the final alongside Veronica Campbell-Brown, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson as they produced the fifth-fastest time in history of 41.36 seconds, finishing in second place behind the USA, but with the fastest ever time recorded for a second-placed team.[3][5]

The following year, she represented Jamaica at the 2017 World Relays, in Nassau, The Bahamas,[3] and won a bronze medal in the sprint relay at the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.[5] In 2018, she was a silver medalist in the 100 metres at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, recovering from a slow start to finish in 11.21 seconds to win the silver medal behind Michelle-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago, and ahead of compatriot Gayon Evans.[7] Later at the Games, alongside Evans she was a medalist in the women's 4 x 100 metres relay with Natasha Morrison and Elaine Thompson.[8]

In 2018, Williams ran a personal best in the 60 metres of 7.14 seconds competing on the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Tour in Glasgow, Scotland. A time she equalled in 2021 at the American Track League in Arkansas.[9] After a period of time on the sidelines due to injury, Williams returned to racing in 2023 in Austria.[4]

Bobsleigh career

Having moved to Austria, she began training at the sports centre in St. Pölten competing in two-woman bobsleigh as a pusher for Katrin Beierl, who also trains in St. Polten. The pair competed at the 2024–25 Bobsleigh World Cup event in Innsbruck-Igls in January 2025.[5][10] On 29 August 2025, she was nationalized as Austrian and gained Austrian citizenship.[11]

Williams was selected to represent Austria at the 2026 Winter Olympics in the two-woman bobsleigh event alongside Katrin Beierl.[12][5]

References

  1. ^ "2018 CWG bio". Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Christania Williams". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Starting with World Relays success, Williams aims to make waves in 2017". World Athletics. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Christania Williams 2nd at Raiffeisen Austrian Open". Track Alerts. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e Trapnell, Jasmine (2 February 2026). "Track to ice - A guide to athletics stars set to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics". European Athletics. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Christania Williams". Rio2016.com. Rio 2016 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Williams, Evans secure silver and bronze in 100m". Jamaica Gleaner. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  8. ^ "Gold Coast Commonwealth Games". World Athletics. 15 April 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  9. ^ Foster, Anthony (7 February 2021). "Christania Williams runs 7.14 PB at American Track League". trackalerts.com. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  10. ^ "JAMAICAN SPRINTER PUSHES KATRIN BEIERL". ibsf.org. 16 January 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  11. ^ red, ORF at/Agenturen (29 August 2025). "Jamaikanische Beierl-Anschieberin Williams eingebürgert". sport.ORF.at.
  12. ^ red, ORF at/Agenturen (19 January 2026). "Beierl fährt bei Olympia mit Anschieberin Williams" [Beierl will compete at the Olympics with brakewoman Williams]. sport.ORF.at (in German). Retrieved 19 January 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.