FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (Feb 20) – Jamaica’s Olympic champion Briana Williams opened her 2026 indoor season with a narrow defeat on Friday, finishing runner-up to compatriot Grizell Scarlett in the women’s 60 meters at the Arkansas Qualifier in Fayetteville.
Scarlett, representing Central Missouri, powered to a personal best 7.25 seconds to edge Williams, who clocked 7.27 after leading the qualification rounds earlier. The time marked a breakthrough for Scarlett, improving on her previous lifetime best of 7.38 set last month in Kansas.
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Williams, 23, who is seeking to regain top form after recent below-par campaigns, appeared sharp in the heats but could not hold off her countrywoman in the final. The former world junior sprint double champion will look to build on the promising start as she targets her 2022 personal best of 7.04 seconds. Williams also owns a Tokyo 2021 Olympic 4x100m relay gold and world championship silver medals from 2022 and 2023.
American sprinter Samirah Moody, last year’s event record holder at 7.20, finished third in 7.37.
In the men’s 60m, South African teenager Karabo Letebele delivered the performance of the evening, storming to a meeting record and personal best 6.55 seconds to win the title. The Arkansas athlete eclipsed Mario Burke’s 2024 mark of 6.56 seconds and improved on his 6.59 set earlier this season.
Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati ran 6.59 for second, with American Max Thomas third in 6.60. Arkansas’ Dapriest Hogans captured the men’s 200m title in 20.63 seconds ahead of Kansas City’s Tory Lanham (20.82).C
In field events, South Africa’s Luvo Manyonga, the 2017 world champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist, claimed the men’s long jump crown with 8.08 meters (26-6¼) on his final attempt. American Daniel McArthur won the shot put with 20.17m (66-2¼), while UCLA’s Valentina Fakrogha equaled the meet record in the women’s high jump, clearing 1.86m (6-1¼).
