Alison Williamson

Alison Jane Williamson MBE (born 3 November 1971) is a retired British archer who represented Great Britain at six consecutive Olympic Games from 1992 to 2012. She won a bronze medal in the women's individual event at the 2004 Summer Olympics, becoming the first British woman to win an Olympic archery medal in ninety-six years. Williamson achieved two medals at the World Archery Championships and represented England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, winning two silver medals.

Williamson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2012. She announced her retirement from archery in 2014.

Early and personal life Alison Williamson was born on 3 November 1971 in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. She was introduced to archery at the age of seven by her parents, who both practised the sport recreationally. As of 2012, both her parents remained active in the sport, her father holding the position of president of the British archery's governing body, Archery GB, and her mother working as a coach. At the age of ten Williamson won a silver medal at the 1981 Wenlock Olympian Games and at fourteen she qualified for her first international tournament. In 2003 she received funding from the National Lottery for the first time, allowing her to divide archery practice with part-time work as a primary school teacher The grants allowed her to become a full-time athlete in 2006.

In May 2012 she participated in the Olympic torch relay, acting as a torchbearer as it passed through the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock on the twelfth day of the route. The following month Williamson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to archery in the Queen's Birthday Honours.

Williamson married husband Will Conaghan in 2013. She is a member of the Long Mynd Archers club based in Shropshire.

Career Olympic career 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics Williamson made her Olympic debut at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, finishing the women's individual event in eighth place. Four years later at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, she ended the individual competition in tenth position. Williamson had considered herself fortunate to have progressed as one of the last sixteen archers.

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens marked the fourth time Williamson had contested an Olympic archery event. After advancing through the opening elimination rounds Williamson won a controversial quarter-final against China's He Ying, who shot her ninth arrow outside of the imposed time limit and had her tenth arrow's score voided as a penalty. Williamson was later defeated in the semi-finals by South Korea's Park Sung-hyun, and faced fellow losing semi-finalist Yuan Shu Chi of Chinese Taipei in the bronze medal match. After eleven arrows the pair were tied on points, but Williamson outshot Yuan on the twelfth and final arrow to win by a single point and claim her maiden Olympic medal. and the first for a British woman since Sybil Newall in 1908. In Beijing the three were successful in reaching the semi-finals of the women's team competition before a loss to China relegated them to the bronze medal match against France. Amid difficult weather conditions which postponed the match for 50 minutes, Williamson and her teammates performed below expectations and France emerged as the winners by two points over twenty-four arrows.

Speaking to the BBC after her defeats, Williamson admitted she was contemplating retiring from the sport. She however decided to continue to pursue a place at the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London, saying four years later that she felt "a real determination to take part because it was a home games." In June 2012 Williamson was again successful in being selected for the British Olympic team, equalling the British record set by fencer Bill Hoskyns and athlete Tessa Sanderson in competing in six consecutive Summer Olympic Games. before being eliminated by Mongolia's Bishindee Urantungalag in the opening elimination round. Her participation in the women's team event also ended at the first stage after she and her teammates Naomi Folkard and Amy Oliver were defeated by Russia. After her defeat to Urantungalag, Williamson said she was undecided about whether to challenge for selection to a seventh Olympic Games in 2016. In 2007 she and teammates Naomi Folkard and Charlotte Burgess secured bronze medal in the women's team recurve tournament, defeating Italy in the third-place match. By reaching the semi-finals they guaranteed a full berth of three female archers for the British team at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

2010 Commonwealth Games Williamson won two silver medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, reaching the final of both the women's individual and women's team recurve events. Despite the controversy over the conduct of the Indian crowd during the final of the team event, in which the spectators were criticised for distracting Williamson's teammate Amy Oliver while she shot her final arrow of the match, Williamson acknowledged that the opposing Indian team were "worthy winners" of the gold medal, saying "if you'd offered us silver on the plane on the way over here we possibly would have taken it". Her second silver medal came in the final of the individual competition, with India's Deepika Kumari defeating Williamson by six set points to zero.

Retirement Following the 2012 Summer Olympics, Williamson said she no longer had the same motivation that had driven her to compete at previous Olympic Games, although victory at the national championships shortly afterwards forestalled an immediate retirement.