WILLIAMSON Alison < Back  
Sport Archery
CGA England   
Gender Women
Born 03 Nov 1971 in Melton Mowbray, ENG
Height1.70 m
Weight 73 kg
Human Interest
Further Personal Information
Residence Stafford, ENG
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Long Mynd Archers: England
Further Personal Information
Higher education Social Work Studies - Arizona State University: Tempe, AZ, USA
General Interest
Hobbies Badminton, swimming, running. (Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)
Injuries She injured her fingers when she accidentally closed them in a car door. She was unable to use her normal shooting fingers at the European Grand Prix in April 2011 in Turkey. "I had 10 stitches in my right index finger, and there was real panic when I thought I'd broken it," she says. "That's the finger I use to pull the string back, so we took the stitches out in Turkey and I shot with my bottom two fingers." She still won gold. (BBC, 20 Apr 2011)

She underwent surgery on her right shoulder in November 1999 after tearing her tendon and cartilage away from the bone. (worldsports.com, 10 Jan 2000)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs She is known for her habit of waiting until the last moment before shooting her arrows in quick succession. (bownet.com, 02 Jul 2003)
Memorable sporting achievement Winning bronze at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. (Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)
Famous relatives Her father Tom Williamson was president of the Grand National Archery Society. (Athlete, 09 Sep 1999; timesonline.co.uk, 07 Jul 2007)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? Her parents were recreational archers.
General Interest
Most influential person in career Her coaches. (Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)
Hero / Idol Her mother. (Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)
Ambitions To win a team gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (uk.eurosport.yahoo.com, 17 Apr 2012)
Awards and honours She was namen Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] after qualifying for her seventh Olympic Games in 2012. (Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)

She was named 1992 Moet et Chandon Young Sportswoman of the Year. (Team GB Media Guide, 16 Sep 2000)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach Barry and June Famdon, Peter Suk
Handedness Right
When and where did you begin this sport? She was introduced to archery by her parents at age six.
Further Personal Information
Occupation Athlete
General Interest
Nicknames AJ, Ali (Athlete, 03 Jul 2012)
Other information EDUCATOR
In the lead up to the 2004 Olympics in Athens, she trained to become a primary school teacher. She taught for three years in London before competing in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (sportingchampions.org.uk, 13 Jul 2011)

OLYMPIC VETERAN
Her appearance in the 2008 Olympic Games marked her fifth appearance at the Olympic Games. She first competed at the 1992 Games in Barcelona. (sports-reference.com, 23 Aug 2008)

NAKED AMBITION
She raised her profile in Great Britain when she posed semi-nude for photos that were displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in London. In the photos the only prop she had to hide behind was a bow and arrow. (Athlete, 16 Jun 2000)