Lauryn Williams
Encyclopedia
Lauryn Williams is a track and field
sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States
. She was the gold medal
ist in the 100 meter dash at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
and won silver medal
s at the 2004 Athens Olympics, 2007 World Championships
and the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships
.
A World Junior Champion
in 2002, she went on to win the 100 m at the 2003 Pan American Games
and claimed the NCAA title over the distance for the University of Miami
the following year. She has also featured as part of the American 4×100 meter relay team, winning gold medals at the 2005 and 2007 World Championships.
and Detroit, Michigan
and currently resides in suburban Pittsburgh. She holds her high school records for the 100, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay.
She ran for The Wings of Moon Track Club founded by Coach Rubin Carter based in Moon Township, PA, a suburb near Pittsburgh. She was a star with the new club and qualified for the National Junior Olympics.
She attended the University of Miami
, where she competed on the track team and graduated in 2004. She was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society
, the university's highest honor.
Williams was a part of the 4x100 metre relay
team at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics
, where she anchored the American team with Angela Williams
, Chryste Gaines
and Inger Miller
in their heat. She did not run in the final.
Later that season, she participated in the 2003 Pan American Games
in the 100 metre event
. She went on to claim gold in a time of 11.12, followed closely by Angela Williams
and Liliana Allen
.
Williams is a silver medalist in the 100 meters
at the 2004 Summer Olympics
and a 4-time medalist at the World Championships in Athletics, where she won (together with Angela Daigle
, Muna Lee and Me'Lisa Barber
) a gold medal in the 4x100 m relay in 2005 and 2007, as well as gold and silver in the 100m in 2005 and 2007 editions of the meet.
In the Beijing Olympics of 2008, Williams ran the anchor leg in the relay, but a mix-up in the semi-final with team-mate Torri Edwards
caused Edwards to drop the baton. Williams picked up the baton to finish in last place, but the USA was disqualified because she had had to run outside her lane in order to retrieve the baton. At the individual 100 metres sprint she placed 2nd in her first round heat behind Christine Arron in a time of 11.38 to advance to the second round. There she improved her time to 11.07 seconds and placed 2nd again, this time behind Kerron Stewart
. With the third time in her semi final heat behind Shelly-Ann Fraser
and Muna Lee she qualified for the final in 11.10 seconds. In the final she came to 11.03, finishing in fourth place, behind three runners from Jamaica
.
Williams took third place in the 100 m at the 2009 US Championships and as a result she qualified for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
, her third consecutive championships. A week before the World Championships began, she was part of a United States 4 x 100 m relay team that ran the fastest women's sprint relay in twelve years. Williams, Allyson Felix
, Muna Lee and Carmelita Jeter
finished with a time of 41.58 seconds, bringing them to eighth on the all time list.
She spent the entirety of 2010 away from competitive athletics and, among other things, she worked in the athletic department at the University of Miami. She returned to competition in 2011.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She was the gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
ist in the 100 meter dash at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
and won silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
s at the 2004 Athens Olympics, 2007 World Championships
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
and the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 11th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations was held in Moscow from March 10 to March 12, 2006 in the Olimpiyski Sport arena....
.
A World Junior Champion
2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2002 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Kingston, Jamaica from July 16 to July 21, 2002.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...
in 2002, she went on to win the 100 m at the 2003 Pan American Games
2003 Pan American Games
The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
and claimed the NCAA title over the distance for the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
the following year. She has also featured as part of the American 4×100 meter relay team, winning gold medals at the 2005 and 2007 World Championships.
Career
Williams was born and raised in suburban PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and currently resides in suburban Pittsburgh. She holds her high school records for the 100, 200m, long jump and 4x100m relay.
She ran for The Wings of Moon Track Club founded by Coach Rubin Carter based in Moon Township, PA, a suburb near Pittsburgh. She was a star with the new club and qualified for the National Junior Olympics.
She attended the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, where she competed on the track team and graduated in 2004. She was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society
Iron Arrow Honor Society
The Iron Arrow Honor Society is a highly selective secret society and honor society at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida for students, faculty, staff and alumni...
, the university's highest honor.
Williams was a part of the 4x100 metre relay
2003 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 4 x 100 metres relay
These are the official results of the Women's 4x100 metres event at the 2003 IAAF World Championships in Paris, France. Their final was held on Saturday 30 August 2001 at 19:45h.-Final:-Heat 1:-Heat 2:-Heat 3:-References:...
team at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics
2003 World Championships in Athletics
The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...
, where she anchored the American team with Angela Williams
Angela Williams
Angela Williams is an American athlete. Williams attended the University of Southern California, graduating in 2002....
, Chryste Gaines
Chryste Gaines
Chryste Dionne Gaines is an American athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres....
and Inger Miller
Inger Miller
Inger Miller is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for United States. She is the daughter of Lennox Miller, an Olympic champion runner from Jamaica....
in their heat. She did not run in the final.
Later that season, she participated in the 2003 Pan American Games
2003 Pan American Games
The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
in the 100 metre event
Athletics at the 2003 Pan American Games – Women's 100 metres
The final of the Women's 100 metres event at the 2003 Pan American Games took place on Wednesday August 6, 2003, with the heats staged a day earlier.-Medalists:-Records:-Results:-See also:*2003 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 100 metres...
. She went on to claim gold in a time of 11.12, followed closely by Angela Williams
Angela Williams
Angela Williams is an American athlete. Williams attended the University of Southern California, graduating in 2002....
and Liliana Allen
Liliana Allen
Liliana Allen Doll is a Cuban track and field athlete, competing for Mexico. She previously represented Cuba....
.
Williams is a silver medalist in the 100 meters
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 100 metres
The Women's 100 m at the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the athletics program were held at the Athens Olympic Stadium on August 20, 2004 and August 21, 2004.-Records:...
at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and a 4-time medalist at the World Championships in Athletics, where she won (together with Angela Daigle
Angela Daigle
Angela Daigle is an American sprinter, she graduated from Fresno in 1999. Together with Muna Lee, Me'Lisa Barber and Lauryn Williams she won a gold medal in 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics.-External:...
, Muna Lee and Me'Lisa Barber
Me'Lisa Barber
Me'Lisa Barber is an American track and field sprint athlete.-Career:Barber won her first major international championships gold medal by running the lead leg on Team USA’s winning 4x400 m relay team at the 2003 World Outdoor Championships in Paris.She ran on the 2001 Team USA World University...
) a gold medal in the 4x100 m relay in 2005 and 2007, as well as gold and silver in the 100m in 2005 and 2007 editions of the meet.
In the Beijing Olympics of 2008, Williams ran the anchor leg in the relay, but a mix-up in the semi-final with team-mate Torri Edwards
Torri Edwards
Torri Edwards is an American sprinter. She was a rising young star in 100 and 200 metres, winning an Olympic medal in 4×100 metres relay in 2000. In 2003 she won six medals in major international competitions, including one World Championship gold...
caused Edwards to drop the baton. Williams picked up the baton to finish in last place, but the USA was disqualified because she had had to run outside her lane in order to retrieve the baton. At the individual 100 metres sprint she placed 2nd in her first round heat behind Christine Arron in a time of 11.38 to advance to the second round. There she improved her time to 11.07 seconds and placed 2nd again, this time behind Kerron Stewart
Kerron Stewart
Kerron Stewart is a Jamaican sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres and 200 metres. She is the 2008 Jamaican national champion in the 100 m clocking 10.80s. She defeated World Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown in the process and now is the 2008 Summer Olympics silver medalist after she...
. With the third time in her semi final heat behind Shelly-Ann Fraser
Shelly-Ann Fraser
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, OD is a Jamaican sprinter, who specializes in the 100 m. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Fraser is the reigning Olympic champion over 100 m, clocking a time of 10.78...
and Muna Lee she qualified for the final in 11.10 seconds. In the final she came to 11.03, finishing in fourth place, behind three runners from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
.
Williams took third place in the 100 m at the 2009 US Championships and as a result she qualified for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
, her third consecutive championships. A week before the World Championships began, she was part of a United States 4 x 100 m relay team that ran the fastest women's sprint relay in twelve years. Williams, Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix is a track and field sprint athlete, who competes internationally for the United States, primarily in the 200 meters. She also competes at the 100 meters and the 400 meters distances...
, Muna Lee and Carmelita Jeter
Carmelita Jeter
Carmelita Jeter is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 meters. She is the 2011 IAAF World Champion in the 100 metres.She won the 100 m bronze at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics and a gold at the World Athletics Final. she won a second World Championship bronze...
finished with a time of 41.58 seconds, bringing them to eighth on the all time list.
She spent the entirety of 2010 away from competitive athletics and, among other things, she worked in the athletic department at the University of Miami. She returned to competition in 2011.
Major achievements
| 2002 | World Junior Championships 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2002 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Kingston, Jamaica from July 16 to July 21, 2002.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:... |
Kingston Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island... , Jamaica Jamaica Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic... |
100m | 1st | 11.33 secs |
| 2003 | Pan American Games 2003 Pan American Games The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America.... |
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 100m | 1st | 11.12 secs |
| 2004 | Olympic Games 2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team... |
Athens Athens Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
100m | 2nd | 10.96 secs |
| World Athletics Final | Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the... , Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the... |
100m | 3rd | 11.21 secs | |
| 2005 | World Championships 2005 World Championships in Athletics The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of... |
Helsinki Helsinki Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
100m | 1st | 10.93 secs |
| World Athletics Final | Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the... , Monaco Monaco Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the... |
100m | 3rd | 11.04 secs | |
| 2006 | World Indoor Championships | Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... , Russia Russia Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects... |
60m | 2nd | 7.01 secs |
| 2007 | World Championships 2007 World Championships in Athletics The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007... |
Osaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... , Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
100m | 2nd | 11.01 secs |