Alison Jane Williamson
MBE (born 3 November 1971) is a retired
British archer 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 ...
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 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 ...
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, ...
, 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. She announced her retirement from archery in 2014.
Early and personal life
Alison Williamson was born on 3 November 1971 in
Melton Mowbray,
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 ...
.
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, and her mother working as a coach.
At the age of ten Williamson won a silver medal at the 1981
Wenlock Olympian Games 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, 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 ...
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 villa ...
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.
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 ...
as her favourite sportsperson.
Career
Olympic career
;1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics
Williamson made her Olympic debut at the
1992 Summer Olympics 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 c ...
, 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 498,7 ...
, she ended the
individual competition in tenth position.
Williamson entered her third Olympic Games in
2000 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 of South Korea, who posted a new Olympic record
score
Score or scorer may refer to:
*Test score, the result of an exam or test
Business
* Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio
* Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company
* Score Media, a former Canadian ...
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 a ...
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
He Ying (, born April 17, 1977 in Jilin) is an archer from the People's Republic of China who has competed at three Summer Olympics.
Career
1996 Summer Olympics
In 1996 Atlanta Olympics He won the silver in the women's individual event. S ...
, 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 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 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 and
Charlotte Burgess in the women's individual and women's team events, the three having won gold medal at the
2008 Archery World Cup 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 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, th ...
held in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
, 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 List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
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 fenc ...
and athlete
Tessa Sanderson 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 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 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. 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 shoot ...
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 f ...
'' in 2004 after shooting below her expectations. In
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...
she and teammates
Naomi Folkard and
Charlotte Burgess 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, ...
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 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 fenc ...
– represented Great Britain at six consecutive Summer Olympics (
1956
Events
January
* January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan.
* January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...
–
1976) 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, ...
*
Tessa Sanderson – represented Great Britain at six consecutive Summer Olympics (1976–
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...
) in the
javelin throw
*
Sybil Newall,
Charlotte Dod
Charlotte Dod (24 September 1871 – 27 June 1960) was an English multi-sport athlete, best known as a tennis player. She won the Wimbledon Ladies' Singles Championship five times, the first one when she was only 15 in the summer of 1887. She ...
and
Beatrice Hill-Lowe
Beatrice Geraldine Hill-Lowe (26 January 1869 – 2 July 1951) was an Irish archer who represented Britain. She was born in County Louth, Ireland. She was the first Irishwomen to win an Olympic medal. She won a bronze medal at the 1908 Summ ...
– 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 o ...
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