Rising sprinting star, Jamaica’s Briana Williams recently tested positive for a banned substance which can have significant impact on her track and field future. The 17-year-old Williams, who resides and attends high school in Florida is having a superb season, that saw her dominating the competition at the Junior level. Along the way, she was named the most outstanding female athlete at the CARIFTA Games and garnered top spots at the U-18 and U-20 championship.
Williams set her sights on the Jamaica Senior Trials in late-June to vie for a spot on the Jamaican World Championship team to the Qatar, Doha. She was scheduled to compete in both the 100m and 200m. Media report at the time indicated that she was exhibiting flu-like symptoms which forced her withdrawal from the 200m. Williams performed great in the 100m to finish third in a personal best time of 10.94 seconds behind Olympic champions Elaine Thompson (10.70) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (10.70). She provided urine sample as requested by JADCO.
Positive test
Fast forward to last weekend when it was confirmed that Williams sample A was tested positive for a banned substance that appeared on the IAAF list of banned substance. RJR Sports sources have confirmed that Williams's "B" sample has confirmed the "A" sample as being positive for a masking agent. Both those samples were tested at the WADA accredited lab in Montreal. It was also reported and confirmed that the banned substance was the diuretic, Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). As a diuretic, HCTZ can act as a masking agent to prevent the detection of other drugs such as steroids. Now the question is: Why was young Briana Williams taking HCTZ? Wasn’t her team aware and informed of all medication she was taking?
Who is responsible?
The athlete is ultimately responsible for what they ingest. However, in this case some concession must be made for young Williams. It was reported that Williams took some cold medicine at the Senior Trial to alleviate her flu-like symptoms. And the ingredient Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) was not disclosed on the label. For full disclosure, WADA has introduced a series of Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) Checklists to provide guidance and support to athletes and their team. A TUE is an exemption that allows an athlete to use, for therapeutic purposes only, an otherwise prohibited substance or method. Athletes are required to disclose all medication that they are on. So why was HCTZ not disclosed by William’s team before testing?
JAAA zero-tolerance
William’s infraction can lead to up to 4 years banned from the sports of track and field. The JAAA and JADCO has zero tolerance for drug cheats. In fact, over the past 15 years most Jamaican athletes who were caught using banned substances, were caught as a result of testing conducted at the Jamaican Senior Trials. There is no doubt that Jamaica has a stringent drug testing policy. And JACO has done a splendid job conducting informational workshops for athletes, coaches and administrators. So JAAA can justifiable throw the books at Williams.
Concession should be made
Punishing Williams by preventing her from competing in Doha would be a travesty for the young athlete who has worked so hard to earn her trip to Doha. This is indeed could be a teaching moment for Williams and a wake-up call for her team.
Based on the circumstance, it is only fair that young Williams should be giving a verbal warning and be allowed to compete at the Doha World Championship.
Williams in response to her fans wrote “For everyone sending me messages of support, love and encouragement, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. It really means a lot to me. ????????????????????❤️”
The JAAA President Dr. Warren Blake, in an interview with TVJ's Prime Time Sports, expresses his belief that the explanation and the tests that have been done might exonerate Briana Williams.
We anxiously await the JAAA ruling.
O’Neil A Reid is a track and field enthusiast and is the author of the book “Banned for Life, the Steve Mullings Story”
Briana Williams picture is courtesy of Joe Swift Photography
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