Alison Jane Williamson
MBE Mbe may refer to:
* Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo
* Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria
* Mbe language, a language of Nigeria
* Mbe' language, language of Cameroon
* ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language
Molal ...
(born 3 November 1971) is a retired
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In mo ...
who represented
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
at six consecutive Olympic Games from 1992 to 2012. She won a bronze medal in the women's individual event at the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
, becoming the first British woman to win an Olympic archery medal in ninety-six years. Williamson achieved two medals at the
World Archery Championships
The World Archery Championships are a series of competitions in Archery organised by the World Archery Federation (WA). The first competition held under that title took place in 1931.
Competition archery takes a wide variety of formats, but the ...
and represented
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
at the
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
, winning two silver medals.
Williamson was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
. She announced her retirement from archery in 2014.
Early and personal life
Alison Williamson was born on 3 November 1971 in
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, north-east of Leicester, and south-east of Nottingham. It lies on the River Eye, known below Melton as the Wreake. The town had a population 27,670 in 2019. The town is sometimes promo ...
,
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
.
She was introduced to archery at the age of seven by her parents,
who both practised the sport recreationally.
As of 2012, both her parents remained active in the sport, her father holding the position of president of the British archery's governing body,
Archery GB
Archery GB is the largest national governing body for the sport of archery in the United Kingdom. Archery GB is responsible for all levels of archery within the UK from elite to development level and supports over 40,000 members. Archery GB is t ...
, and her mother working as a coach.
At the age of ten Williamson won a silver medal at the 1981
Wenlock Olympian Games
The Wenlock Olympian Games, dating from 1850, are a forerunner of the modern Olympic Games. They are organised by the Wenlock Olympian Society (WOS), and are held each year at venues across Shropshire, England, centred on the little market town o ...
and at fourteen she qualified for her first international tournament.
To garner publicity ahead of the 1996 Summer Olympics, Williamson posed nude as part of a series of photographs showcased in the
National Portrait Gallery.
In 2003 she received funding from the
National Lottery for the first time, allowing her to divide archery practice with part-time work as a primary school teacher.
The grants allowed her to become a full-time athlete in 2006.
In May 2012 she participated in the
Olympic torch relay
The Olympic torch relay is the ceremonial relaying of the Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece, to the site of an Olympic Games. It was first performed at the 1936 Summer Olympics, and has taken place prior to every Games since.
Although in the pa ...
, acting as a torchbearer as it passed through the
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
town of
Much Wenlock
Much Wenlock is a market town and parish in Shropshire, England, situated on the A458 road between Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth. Nearby, to the northeast, is the Ironbridge Gorge, and the new town of Telford. The civil parish includes the villag ...
on the twelfth day of the route. The following month Williamson was appointed a
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
for services to archery in the
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...
.
Williamson married husband Will Conaghan in 2013. She is a member of the Long Mynd Archers club based in Shropshire.
She is a graduate of
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
and in 2000 listed Jamaican sprinter
Merlene Ottey
Merlene Joyce Ottey (born 10 May 1960) is a Jamaican-Slovenian former track and field sprinter. She began her career representing Jamaica in 1978, and continued to do so for 24 years, before representing Slovenia from 2002 to 2012. She is ran ...
as her favourite sportsperson.
Career
Olympic career
;1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics
Williamson made her Olympic debut at the
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, finishing the
women's individual event in eighth place. Four years later at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, she ended the
individual competition in tenth position.
Williamson entered her third Olympic Games in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
with expectations that she would be a contender for a medal.
She was however eliminated in the last sixteen of the
women's individual event by the eventual gold medalist
Yun Mi-jin
Yun Mi-jin (윤미진; born April 30, 1983) is an archer from South Korea who has won three Olympic gold medals and is a former world number one. She holds the Olympic record for a women's 18-arrow match, at 173 out o ...
of South Korea, who posted a new Olympic record
score of 173 for an eighteen-arrow match to beat Williamson's own tournament best by nine points. Williamson had considered herself fortunate to have progressed as one of the last sixteen archers.
;2004 Summer Olympics
The
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
marked the fourth time Williamson had contested an Olympic archery event.
After advancing through the opening elimination rounds Williamson won a controversial quarter-final against China's
He Ying, who shot her ninth arrow outside of the imposed time limit and had her tenth arrow's score voided as a penalty. Williamson was later defeated in the semi-finals by South Korea's
Park Sung-hyun, and faced fellow losing semi-finalist
Yuan Shu Chi
Yuan Shu-chi (; born 9 November 1984 in Nantou County) is an athlete from the Republic of China. She competes in archery.
2004 Summer Olympics
Yuan represented the Republic of China (as Chinese Taipei) at the 2004 Summer Olympics. S ...
of Chinese Taipei in the bronze medal match. After eleven arrows the pair were tied on points, but Williamson outshot Yuan on the twelfth and final arrow to win by a single point and claim her maiden Olympic medal.
Her achievement marked the first Olympic archery medal won by Great Britain since
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
and the first for a British woman since
Sybil Newall in
1908.
;2008 Summer Olympics
Williamson was announced to the British Olympic team for her fifth Olympics in June 2008. She was joined by
Naomi Folkard
Naomi Anne Folkard (born 18 September 1983) is a British archer who has represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games five times between 2004 and 2020. She has also represented Great Britain at the World Archery Championships and the Archery Wo ...
and
Charlotte Burgess
Charlotte Burgess (born 25 January 1987 in Salford) is a British archer who represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Early and personal life
Burgess was born in Salford. She was introduced to archery at eleven years old during a ...
in the women's individual and women's team events, the three having won gold medal at the
2008 Archery World Cup The 2008 Archery World Cup was the 3rd edition of the international archery circuit, organised by the World Archery Federation. The best individual and mixed performers in each discipline over the three legs then joined host representatives in quali ...
stage in the Dominican Republic earlier that year. In Beijing the three were successful in reaching the semi-finals of the
women's team competition before a loss to China relegated them to the bronze medal match against France. Amid difficult weather conditions which postponed the match for 50 minutes, Williamson and her teammates performed below expectations and France emerged as the winners by two points over twenty-four arrows.
Williamson was later eliminated from the
women's individual event in a surprise defeat to
Khatuna Lorig
Khatuna Lorig (; born January 1, 1974, as Khatuna Kvrivishvili, ka, ხათუნა ქვრივიშვილი) is a Georgian archer who immigrated to the United States.
She has used at least 3 different last names while competing ...
of the United States,
who in their twelve-arrow encounter shot a score just two points shy of the Olympic record.
Speaking to the BBC after her defeats, Williamson admitted she was contemplating retiring from the sport.
She however decided to continue to pursue a place at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
held in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, saying four years later that she felt "a real determination to take part because it was a home games."
;2012 Summer Olympics
After having what the BBC called a "mixed" year in 2011, Williamson stated her goal going into 2012 was to qualify for the
upcoming Summer Olympics held in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and expressed a particular desire to win gold medal in the women's team event. In June 2012 Williamson was again successful in being selected for the British Olympic team, equalling the British record set by fencer
Bill Hoskyns
Henry William Furse "Bill" Hoskyns MBE (19 March 1931 – 4 August 2013) was a British fencer who appeared at six Olympic Games.,
Fencing career
Hoskyns, born in London won two silver medals in 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games. No British fence ...
and athlete
Tessa Sanderson
Theresa Ione Sanderson (born 14 March 1956) is a British former javelin thrower. She appeared in every Summer Olympics from 1976 to 1996, winning the gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1984 Olympics. She was the second track and field ...
in competing in six consecutive Summer Olympic Games.
Williamson did not have a strong showing in London. She finished the preliminary ranking round for the
women's individual event in forty-seventh place, a position the ''
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
'' described as "disappointing", before being eliminated by Mongolia's
Bishindee Urantungalag
Bishindeegiin Urantungalag ( mn, Бишиндээгийн Урантунгалаг; 24 February 1977 in Khentii Province) is a Mongolian Archery, archer. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Archery at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Wom ...
in the opening elimination round.
Her participation in the
women's team event also ended at the first stage after she and her teammates
Naomi Folkard
Naomi Anne Folkard (born 18 September 1983) is a British archer who has represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games five times between 2004 and 2020. She has also represented Great Britain at the World Archery Championships and the Archery Wo ...
and
Amy Oliver
Amy Oliver (born 10 July 1987) is an archer from Great Britain. A competitor at the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, a bronze medal at the 2011 World Archery Championships, and was the women's individ ...
were defeated by Russia. After her defeat to Urantungalag, Williamson said she was undecided about whether to challenge for selection to a seventh
Olympic Games in 2016.
Other competitions
;World Archery Championships
Williamson has won two medals at the
World Archery Championships
The World Archery Championships are a series of competitions in Archery organised by the World Archery Federation (WA). The first competition held under that title took place in 1931.
Competition archery takes a wide variety of formats, but the ...
. In
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
she finished with a silver medal, later calling it her "worst sporting moment" in an interview with ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' in 2004 after shooting below her expectations. In
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
she and teammates
Naomi Folkard
Naomi Anne Folkard (born 18 September 1983) is a British archer who has represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games five times between 2004 and 2020. She has also represented Great Britain at the World Archery Championships and the Archery Wo ...
and
Charlotte Burgess
Charlotte Burgess (born 25 January 1987 in Salford) is a British archer who represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Early and personal life
Burgess was born in Salford. She was introduced to archery at eleven years old during a ...
secured bronze medal in the women's team recurve tournament, defeating Italy in the third-place match. By reaching the semi-finals they guaranteed a full berth of three female archers for the British team at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
;2010 Commonwealth Games
Williamson won two silver medals at the
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
in
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, reaching the final of both the
women's individual and
women's team recurve events. Despite the controversy over the conduct of the Indian crowd during the final of the team event, in which the spectators were criticised for distracting Williamson's teammate
Amy Oliver
Amy Oliver (born 10 July 1987) is an archer from Great Britain. A competitor at the 2012 Summer Olympics, she won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, a bronze medal at the 2011 World Archery Championships, and was the women's individ ...
while she shot her final arrow of the match, Williamson acknowledged that the opposing Indian team were "worthy winners" of the gold medal, saying "if you'd offered us silver on the plane on the way over here we possibly would have taken it". Her second silver medal came in the final of the individual competition, with India's
Deepika Kumari
Deepika Kumari (born 13 June 1994) is an Indian professional archer. Currently ranked the World No. 2, she competes in the event of archery. She won a gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth games in the women's individual recurve event. She also w ...
defeating Williamson by six
set points to zero.
Retirement
Following the 2012 Summer Olympics, Williamson said she no longer had the same motivation that had driven her to compete at previous Olympic Games, although victory at the national championships shortly afterwards forestalled an immediate retirement.
After committing to a break from competitive archery before deciding whether to attempt for a record-breaking seventh Olympic Games, Williamson announced her retirement in April 2014. She cited her inability to "continue to dedicate the hours that are needed", adding "now the time is right to just concentrate on the day job".
See also
*
Bill Hoskyns
Henry William Furse "Bill" Hoskyns MBE (19 March 1931 – 4 August 2013) was a British fencer who appeared at six Olympic Games.,
Fencing career
Hoskyns, born in London won two silver medals in 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games. No British fence ...
– represented Great Britain at six consecutive Summer Olympics (
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...
–
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
) in
fencing
Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...
*
Tessa Sanderson
Theresa Ione Sanderson (born 14 March 1956) is a British former javelin thrower. She appeared in every Summer Olympics from 1976 to 1996, winning the gold medal in the javelin throw at the 1984 Olympics. She was the second track and field ...
– represented Great Britain at six consecutive Summer Olympics (1976–
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
) in the
javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...
*
Sybil Newall,
Charlotte Dod and
Beatrice Hill-Lowe – Great Britain's female archery medalists at the
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...
References
External links
*
*
archive
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Alison
1971 births
Living people
English female archers
Archers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Archers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Archers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Archers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Archers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Archers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Olympic archers of Great Britain
Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain
Members of the Order of the British Empire
People from Melton Mowbray
People from Church Stretton
Olympic medalists in archery
Archers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
World Archery Championships medalists
Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England
Commonwealth Games medallists in archery