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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
International Debut | |
| Tournament | European Championships |
| Location | Gothenburg |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Will (bbc.com, 29 Jul 2014) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Hurdling is very exciting because it is all about negotiating obstructions, which is what life is about too." (standard.co.uk, 12 Aug 2011) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Belgrave Harriers: London, ENG |
Further Personal Information | |
| Higher education | Economics - University of Leicester: England |
General Interest | |
| Famous relatives | His older brother Richard competed in bobsleigh at international level, and his father David played rugby union at club level in England for Northampton Saints. (independent.co.uk, 30 Aug 2009) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Benke Blomkvist [personal], SWE |
General Interest | |
| Other information | DECATHLON TO HURDLES He competed in decathlon until 2005 when an injury meant he was no longer able to throw javelin at international level. "I injured my shoulder due to a pole vaulting accident, but I soon recovered my ability to vault again post-surgery, and I felt as though I would have improved in all the other events except javelin. My coach [at the time] John Anderson and I had a discussion and planned to put my efforts into my best event, which was the 110m hurdles." (trackfield97.com, 11 Jun 2015; standard.co.uk, 12 Aug 2011) HERITAGE He was born in Lagos, Nigeria, to a British father and Togolese mother. At age three he moved with his family to Corby, England. (theguardian.com, 25 Jul 2012) OTHER STUDIES He did a Master of Science [MSc] degree in banking and finance at Loughborough University in England. (lboro.ac.uk, 08 Oct 2010) YOUNG MUSICIAN He achieved grade eight in the piano at age 16, and played the cornet for a group that were named BBC Youth Orchestra of the Year in Great Britain. (standard.co.uk, 12 Aug 2011) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Son Joshua |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Spending time with family. (trackfield97.com, 11 Jun 2015) |
| Injuries | In 2014 he tore his left hamstring. He did not take part in a competitive race for 10 months. (LinkedIn profile, 19 Jul 2015; williamsharman.com, Jul 2015) In January 2010 he suffered a broken left wrist during training after crashing into a hurdle that had been placed in the wrong position. He required reconstructive surgery on the injury. (telegraph.co.uk, 22 Jul 2010) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Competing at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden [his senior international debut], and finishing fourth in the 110m hurdles at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany. (trackfield97.com, 11 Jun 2015) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | "A PE [physical education] teacher at school repeatedly picked this boy who was rubbish to represent the school at hurdles. Eventually I put my foot down and said, 'Why haven't you chosen me? I know I can do it, and I know I can win and beat all of these guys'. The teacher said, 'If you think you're that good, go for it'. So I did. They were all going up and over the hurdles, and I knew I wanted to go straight, to almost run through them and save time that way. Pretty soon I was involved in county athletics and breaking records." |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | Former coach John Anderson. (williamsharman.com, Aug 2014) |
| Hero / Idol | British sprinter Linford Christie, Welsh footballer Ryan Giggs. (trackfield97.com, 11 Jun 2015; mitchum.co.uk, 17 Feb 2012) |
| Ambitions | To compete at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (williamsharman.com, 21 Feb 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He took up hurdling at age 15. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Languages | English, German |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2006 |
| Competing for | Great Britain |