Angela Williams (born May 15, 1965 in

Laventille Laventille is a ward of Trinidad and Tobago. Etymology The name ''Laventille'' hearkens back to colonial times, especially when the French dominated the cultural traditions of the island. One etymological derivation of the name is because the no ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

) is a retired

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

sprinter. She began running at age 10 after her family moved to

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. A highly recruited high school athlete, she ran first for

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...

, then later

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...

. She opted to run internationally for her native

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, getting her first taste of international competition while still in high school at the

1982 Central American and Caribbean Games The 14th Central American and Caribbean Games were held in Havana, Cuba from August 7 to August 18, 1982, and included 2,420 athletes from nineteen nations competing in 25 different sports. Some events were held in Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos, an ...

, winning a gold medal in the 4x100 metres relay and an individual silver medal in the

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

, Later that year she also ran at the

1982 Commonwealth Games The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Australia, from 30 September to 9 October 1982. The Opening Ceremony was held at the QEII Stadium (named after Elizabeth II), in the Brisbane suburb of Nathan. The QEII Stadium was also the a ...

, the relay team finishing in 6th place. The next year she also ran the 200 and anchored the relay at the

1983 Pan American Games The 1983 Pan American Games were held in Caracas, Venezuela from August 14 to August 29, 1983. The games were the first major international competition to include relatively accurate steroid testing.Taylor, William N., ''Anabolic Steroids and the ...

, winning a silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres. And as a 19 year old seasoned veteran, anchored their team in the 4x100 metres relay at the 1984 Olympics. She also ran in the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

making it to the quarterfinal round, but well behind the three American sprinters,

Evelyn Ashford Evelyn Ashford (born April 15, 1957) is an American retired track and field athlete, the 1984 Olympic Games, Olympic champion in the 100-meter dash. She ran under the 11-second barrier over 30 times and was the first to run under 11 seconds in a ...

Alice Brown would win the Gold and Silver and later set the world record in the relay. She was the third fastest Angela in the 100 metres after Canadians

Angela Bailey Angela Bailey (28 February 1962 – 31 July 2021) was a Canadian track and field athlete. She is the Canadian record holder in the 100 metres with her personal best of 10.98 seconds in 1987. She also holds the 200 metres indoor national recor ...

and Angella Taylor. Four years later she ran in the 1988 Olympics again making it to the quarter-final round in the

before being eliminated behind eventual silver medalist Ashford and again behind Bailey and Taylor now named Issajenko. In the

she also made it to the quarter-final round. After graduating from Seton Hall, Williams taught and coached at Thurgood Marshall High School and is currently coaching at

Prairie View A&M Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU or PV) is a public historically black land-grant university in Prairie View, Texas. Founded in 1876, it is one of Texas's two land-grant universities and the second oldest public institution of higher learning ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Angela 1965 births Living people Trinidad and Tobago female sprinters American female sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1982 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for Trinidad and Tobago Athletes (track and field) at the 1983 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for Trinidad and Tobago Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Central American and Caribbean Games silver medalists for Trinidad and Tobago Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Trinidad and Tobago Competitors at the 1982 Central American and Caribbean Games Olympic athletes for Trinidad and Tobago Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Prairie View A&M Panthers and Lady Panthers track and field coaches Track and field athletes from Brooklyn Tennessee State Lady Tigers track and field athletes Seton Hall Pirates women's track and field athletes Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in athletics Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Olympic female sprinters