Alison Williamson

1971-

British archer

British archer Alison Williamson is a world champion, four-time Olympian, and Olympic and European record holder. Beginning archery at a young age, she went on to compete in the women's individual event around the world consistently placing in the top ten and ranking first in the Tournament of Nations and the Arizona Cup International. She achieved a world record score of 651 in seventy-two Arrows, and won the Moet and Chandon Young Sportwoman of the Year award in 1992. The first Briton to win an archery scholarship to an American university, she graduated from Arizona State in 1995.

Young Hopeful

Williamson seemed to be born to practice archery. Both her parents were archers, and her father gave her her first bow when she was seven. By age nine she had entered her first competition. At fourteen she became a junior international representing the British Junior Team while still attending school in Church Stretton. Her long streak of successful results was soon to emerge in international competition. She made her senior BG Team debut in 1988 and a year later ranked third in the Junior European Championships.

In 1991, she received a sports scholarship to Arizona State University and became the first British athlete to win an archery scholarship to an American university. She would graduate four years later with a degree in social work.

The first of Williamson's Olympic appearances was Barcelona in 1992, where, at age twenty, she was billed as Britain's young hopeful. Reaching the quarter finals, she placed an overall eighth. That same year she ranked second in the European Championships and was awarded the Moet and Chandon Young Sportwoman of the Year. Two more competitions followed in 1993: the World Indoor Championships in which she placed fifth, and the Arizona Cup International where she came in at the top.

Breaking records and improving her skills, in 1994 she again ranked first in both the Vegas Shoot and at the US Collegiate Championship where she won with a score of 579 in singles 18m. In the Olympic round competition of 1994, Williamson broke the world record with a score of 651 in seventy-two arrows, and achieved a European record score of 165 in eighteen arrows.

Although Williamson ranked only tenth at the Atlanta Olympics of 1996, she continued to shine in European competition. She placed first in the Tournament of Nations in Germany, and second place at the European Grand Prix. Two years later in 1998, she achieved a British record at the European Indoor Championships, and came in at a European record ninth place at the Czech Republic Grand Prix that same year.

Her best year was 1999 with a silver medal win at the World Championships in Riom, France, a gold medal at the Cyprus European Grand Prix, a European record performance at the Grand Prix in Turkey, and third place in the team competition at the European Field Championships in Slovenia. At the Cyprus games, she performed her best twelve arrows score of 113. In 2000, she placed second at the Arizona Cup USA.

Dashed Hopes in Sydney

Williamson approached her fourth Olympics, the 2000 Sydney Games, with high hopes. Having been briefly ranked top in the world before the Olympics but going into the Games officially listed as third, the near 30-year-old again represented Team BG. She started out with superb results, shooting a perfect ten with her final arrow to attain the last sixteen of the archery competition. She won 157-154 against Turkish player Elif Altinkaynak, hitting the 12.2 cm bull from a distance of 70 meters.

Competition intensified when Williamson faced off against South Korean favorite Kim Soo-Nyung, called by some the best archer in history. Kim had won gold at both the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Games. Ironically, it was another South Korean, 17-year-old Yun Mi-Jin in the women's individual archery event who knocked medal hopeful Williamson out of the last sixteen with an Olympic record score of 173 for eighteen arrows. Williamson scored her best total of 164 in the Games and placed an overall tenth, while Yun, Kim, and fellow teammate Kim Nam-Soon took a Korean sweep of the medals.

Williamson is an intense competitor. She has a habit of waiting until the last moment before shooting her arrows in quick succession. To focus on her craft, Williamson employs a sports psychologist with whom she communicates frequently, and listens to tapes to help her concentrate and visualize matches. She is also an avid reader, and once was photographed nude in halflight for an exhibition in the National Portrait Gallery. Williamson is an honorary life member of the Long Mynd Archers society.

Chronology

Alison Williamson excelled in archery throughout European competition and four Olympic games. She attributes her success in the demanding sport to concentration and establishing a balance between the physical and psychological. She noted in an article for Sports Illustrated for Women that archery requires patience, precision, and purity of movement—qualities she has mastered as evidenced by her many victories.

Awards and Accomplishments

FURTHER INFORMATION

Periodicals

Carol, Caroline. "World Class." Sports Illustrated for Women (September/October 2000): 104.

Other

Angus Achievers Award. http://www.angus.gov.uk/angusahead/awards/2000/sport2000.htm (January 28, 2003).

Biography Resource Center Online. Gale Group. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC (January 15, 2003).

Bownet. http://www.bownet.com/gallery/alison.html (January 15, 2003).

FITA International Archery Federation. http://www.archery.org/sydney/participants/GBR_WR_Williamson.htm (January 15, 2003).

Guardian. http://www.guardian.co/uk/sydney/story (January 15, 2003).

Olympics. http://www.olympics.org.uk/press/pressdetail.asp?boa_press_id=44 (January 28, 2003).

Online Archery. http://www.onlinearchery.org.uk/news_start.html (January 28, 2003).

Sports Illustrated. "Athletes Set Sights on Sydney." http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics.news/1999/10/04/plans_williamson (January 15, 2003).

Sports Illustrated. "For Alison the goal is clear, although somewhat blurred." http://sportsillustraged.cnn.com/olympics/newswire/2000/09/06/226250104202_afp (January 15, 2003).

Times. "Perfect 10 Keeps Williamson on Target." http://www.times-olympics.co.uk/archive/archerys17o.html (January 15, 2003).

Trading Standards. http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/shropshire/validate15.htm (January 15, 2003).

Sketch by Lorraine Savage