William Ward (16 July 1993 – 4 August 2013) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

amateur boxer selected for 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 ...

in the light flyweight division.

Career

Ward began his sporting career as a

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

, winning a Queensland junior title in 2004. He switched to boxing in 2006 and the following year won an Australian junior title. His boxing was curtailed by

Ross River Fever Ross River fever is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by infection with the Ross River virus. The illness is typically characterised by flu like symptoms combined with polyarthritis and a rash. The virus is endemic to mainland Austra ...

in 2008 but he fought on and in 2011 he made the semifinals of the Australian Under 19 championships as a flyweight. The following year, he stepped up to open competition and dropped a weight division to light flyweight. He won both the Australian title and the Oceania Olympic Qualification tournament that year to earn a place at the London Olympic Games.

2012 Olympic record

* Round of 32: lost to Yosbany Veitia (Cuba) on points 4-26

Personal life and death

Ward was noted for his short stature and curly red hair. He told the

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

, most people assume he was a jockey rather than a boxer. The Gladstone Observer reported that when he returned to Gladstone after winning the Oceania qualifier, he was met by a group of fans wearing red curly wigs. Ward committed suicide on 4 August 2013, aged 20, in

Gladstone, Queensland Gladstone () is a coastal city in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. Gladstone has an urban population of 34,703, and together with Boyne Island and Tannum Sands, had an estimated population of 50,317 at August 2021. This urban area co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Billy 1993 births 2013 suicides 2013 deaths Suicides in Queensland Boxers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers for Australia Sportspeople from Bundaberg Australian male boxers Light-flyweight boxers Sportsmen from Queensland