Victoria Williamson Explained

Victoria Williamson
Fullname:Victoria Eve Williamson
Nickname:Vics
Birth Date:15 September 1993[1]
Birth Place:Hevingham, Norfolk, England
Height:1.63m (05.35feet)
Weight:62kg (137lb)
Currentteam:VC Norwich
Discipline:Track
Role:Rider
Ridertype:Sprint Track
Show-Medals:yes

Victoria Eve Williamson (born 15 September 1993) is an elite English bobsledder and former track cyclist who specialised in the sprint disciplines. In 2013, with Rebecca James, she won the bronze medal in the team sprint at the World Track Cycling Championships.

Early life

Williamson was educated at Norwich High School for Girls.[2] At the suggestion of one of her coaches at the City of Norwich Athletic Club, she switched from athletics to cycling in 2008.[3] She entered the Girls4Gold programme, a group that searches for talented athletes with a potential for cycling, before being accepted into the Olympic Development Programme (ODP).[4] She then progressed onto the elite Podium Programme two years later, and made her senior debut at the 2013 World Championships in Minsk.

Career

At the 2011 Juniors Track World Championships in Moscow, she won a silver medal in the 500m time trial, a bronze medal in the sprint and came fifth in the keirin.[5] She made her senior world debut very shortly after, and won a bronze medal with partner Becky James in the team sprint at the 2013 Track World Championships in Minsk, Belarus.[6] Since then she continues to compete at an international level, picking up numerous medals. In 2017 she signed with Under Armour.

Crash and marriage

In January 2016 Williamson was involved in a traumatic crash with Dutch rider Elis Ligtlee, at the during an omnium sprint race at Six Days of Rotterdam (Zesdaagse Rotterdam). The collision with the fence resulted in Williamson suffering a broken neck and back, dislocating her pelvis and slipping a disc in her neck.[7] Williamson's racing number burned her skin in the crash and according to her if it had become infected, she would have had plastic surgery.

Williamson was left with a loss of feeling in her left leg, her starting leg, due to a trapped nerve but was hoping for full feeling by mid 2018. During this period she married Oliver Barnes. She hoped to complete her rehabilitation by the end of January and to race at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[8]

Return to track cycling

2018 saw the separation of her marriage. In late January 2019, three years after suffering career-threatening injuries, Williamson returned to competition. The now 25-year-old took part in the GB Cycling Team for sprint events for the 2018–19 UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong.[9] and qualified for the 2019 Track World Championships.[10]

Switch to bobsleigh

In December 2019 Williamson announced that she was switching from cycling to bobsleigh, having participated in her first training camp with the British bobsleigh team.[11]

Palmarès

2009
  • 2nd Sprint, British National Track Championships – U16
    2010

    1st Sprint, British National Track Championships – Junior

    2nd 500m TT, British National Track Championships – Junior

    2011
  • 2nd 500m TT, UCI Track World Championships – Junior
  • 3rd Sprint, UCI Track World Championships – Junior
  • 1st Sprint, British National Track Championships – Junior
  • 1st 500m TT, British National Track Championships – Junior
  • 3rd Sprint, British National Track Championships
  • 3rd Keirin, British National Track Championships
    2012
  • 2nd Sprint, British National Track Championships
  • 2nd Keirin, British National Track Championships
  • 2nd 500m TT, British National Track Championships
    2013
  • 3rd Team sprint, UCI Track World Championships (with Becky James)
  • 2nd 500m TT, British National Track Championships
  • 3rd Team sprint, UEC European U23 Track Championships (with Becky James)
    2014
  • Open des Nations sur Piste de Roubaix
  • 1st Team Sprint (with Jessica Varnish)
  • 3rd Sprint
  • Track Cycling World Cup
  • 3rd Team sprint, Round 3, Guadalajara (with Dannielle Khan)[12]
  • 2nd Sprint, Revolution – Round 4, Manchester
  • 2nd, British National Team Sprint Championships (with Katy Marchant)[13]
  • 2nd 500m time trial, British National Track Championships[14]
  • 3rd Individual sprint, British National Track Championships[15]
    2015
  • Revolution
  • 1st Sprint – Round 4, Glasgow
  • 2nd Keirin – Round 4, Glasgow
  • 2nd British National Team Sprint Championships (with Shanaze Reade)[16]
  • 2nd 500m time trial, British National Track Championships[17]
  • 3rd Individual Sprint, British National Track Championships[18]
  • UEC European U23 Track Championships
  • 2nd Team Sprint (with Katy Marchant)
  • 3rd Sprint

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: GB Cycling Team Rider Biography. British Cycling. 20 February 2013.
    2. Web site: Mrs Robinson praises London 2012 female role models. The Merchant Taylors' Schools. 22 February 2013.
    3. Web site: Bailey. Michael. What a year for Norfolk's British Cycling track starlet Victoria Williamson. Norwich Evening News. Archant Community Media Limited. 22 February 2013. 4 October 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20121110230248/http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/sport/olympics/what_a_year_for_norfolk_s_british_cycling_track_starlet_victoria_williamson_1_1079789. 10 November 2012. dead. dmy-all.
    4. Web site: Q and A with Norfolk cyclist Victoria Williamson. Dare2Dream. 22 February 2013. 15 June 2010.
    5. Web site: Junior World Track Championships 2011. Cycling Weekly. 22 February 2013. 18 August 2011.
    6. Web site: Bevan. Chris. World Track Cycling 2013: Great Britain win silver and bronze. BBC Sport. 22 February 2013. Minsk, Belarus. 20 February 2013.
    7. News: Williamson 'lucky not to be paralysed' . BBC Sport .
    8. News: Barnes eyes return after crash recovery . BBC Sport .
    9. Web site: Bevan. Chris. World Track Cycling 2013: Great Britain win silver and bronze. Eurosport. 23 January 2019. 22 January 2019.
    10. News: Track Cycling World Championships: Victoria Williamson set for return after crash. 26 February 2019. BBC Sport.
    11. Web site: Medal-winning sprint cyclist Vicky Williamson switches to bobsleigh . . 5 December 2019 . . 9 December 2019.
    12. Web site: Track World Cup: Britain win two bronze medals in Mexico . . 18 January 2014 . bbc.co.uk. 20 January 2014.
    13. Web site: National Track Championships: Varnish & Trott among winners . . 27 September 2014 . bbc.co.uk. 28 September 2014.
    14. Web site: National Track Championships: Jess Varnish wins time trial title . . 25 September 2014 . . 29 September 2014.
    15. Web site: Report and Results From Day Three . . 26 September 2014 . . 30 September 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006102636/http://www.nationaltrackchamps.co.uk/News/Article/2284/1 . 6 October 2014 . dead . dmy-all .
    16. Web site: British National Track Championships 25th-27th September 2015: Results - Team Female . . British Cycling. 28 September 2015.
    17. Web site: British National Track Championship 25th-27th September 2015: Results: Female: 500m Time Trial . . . 28 September 2015.
    18. Web site: British National Track Championships 25th-27th September 2015: Communiqué No 22: Category Female: Event Sprint: Round Final Result . . . 27 September 2015.

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