Steve Williams (rower)
Encyclopedia
Stephen David Williams OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

 (born 15 April 1976 in Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...

) is an English rower
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

 and double Olympic champion.

In April and May 2011, Steve will be taking part in Richard Parks
Richard Parks
Richard David Parks is a former Wales international rugby union player, representing Newport RFC, Pontypridd RFC, Celtic Warriors, Leeds Tykes, Perpignan and Newport Gwent Dragons at club and regional level. In May 2009 he was forced to retire from rugby due to a shoulder injury...

' 737 Challenge. Steve is joining Richard for the 6th and 7th legs to the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...

 and Mount Everest.

Education

Williams started rowing aged 13 while at Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School
Monkton Combe School is an independent boarding and day school of the British public school tradition, near Bath, England. The Senior School is located in the village of Monkton Combe, while the Prep School, Pre-Prep and Nursery are in Combe Down on the southern outskirts of Bath...

, Bath, and attended Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University is a new university in Oxford, England. It was named to honour the school's founding principal, John Brookes. It has been ranked as the best new university by the Sunday Times University Guide 10 years in a row...

 to study History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...

 and Town planning.

International Rowing Career

Williams made his full international debut in 1998 at the age of 22. He partnered Fred Scarlett
Fred Scarlett
Fred Scarlett is an Olympic gold medalist as a British rower.He took up rowing at The King's School Canterbury, and was Captain of Boats in his final year. At Oxford Brookes University, he won two Henley Royal Regatta medals, in the Temple Challenge Cup, and the Visitors Challenge Cup...

 in the coxless pair, and came a creditable sixth in his first world championships. A year later he partnered Simon Dennis
Simon Dennis
Simon Dennis MBE is a British rower and Olympic gold medalist.He started rowing at St Paul's School, London, coached by Michael Streat and his first international appearance was in 1994 in the GB eight at the Junior World Rowing Championships, winning a bronze medal...

 in the same event, this time finishing fifth. In 2000 both Scarlett and Dennis would win seats in the Eight for the Olympics in Sydney, but Williams just missed out, and instead was part of a coxed four which won a gold medal at the World Championships in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...

 for non-Olympic events.

The following year he was again world champion, this time in the coxless four, and won the silver medal in the same discipline in both 2002 and 2003.

With Matthew Pinsent
Matthew Pinsent
Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent CBE is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals, of which three were with Steve Redgrave...

, James Cracknell
James Cracknell
James Cracknell, OBE is a British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist and adventurer. Cracknell is married to TV and radio presenter Beverley Turner; they have three children. In the New Year Honours List, 2004, he was appointed OBE for services to sport...

 and Ed Coode
Ed Coode
Ed Coode, MBE is a British rower, twice World Champion and Olympic Gold medalist.Educated at Papplewick School, Ascot, Eton College, University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Oxford University, where he attended Keble College and rowed in the Oxford crew at the 1998 Boat Race.Coode won his first World...

, Williams won Olympic gold 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...

 in 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...

 in the men's coxless four.

Williams was the only member of the 2004 Olympic crew to continue racing for the 2005 season, joining Alex Partridge
Alex Partridge
Alex Partridge is a British rower, and an Olympic silver medallist- Education :Partridge started rowing at Monkton Combe School, Bath, and attended Oxford Brookes University to study Technology Management...

, Peter Reed
Peter Reed (rower)
Peter Reed MBE is a British Olympic rower. Reed has achieved two gold medals and two silver medals in the World Championships, and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he earned a gold medal in the Men's coxless four.- Biography :Reed was born in Seattle, but his family moved to England several months...

 and Andrew Triggs-Hodge
Andrew Triggs-Hodge
Andrew Triggs Hodge MBE is a British rower and an Olympic and double World Champion.- Education :...

 in the coxless four, again winning at the World Championships that year and in 2006, before coming a disappointing fourth at the 2007 world championships. In 2008, Partridge was replaced by Cambridge Blue Tom James
Tom James
Thomas James MBE is a Welsh rower, Olympic Champion, and victorious Cambridge Blue.-Education:James was educated at The King's School, Chester, where he took up the sport of rowing...

, and despite an injury torn season, the quartet became Olympic Champions, defeating the Australian boat by 1.28s on the day dubbed 'Super Saturday' by the media, owing to the large GB medal haul. The Australians had led for much of the race, before an epic push by the British boat overhauled them in the last 400m.

Already a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Williams was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.

On 22 January 2010 he announced his retirement from the sport.

Achievements

  • Olympic
    Rowing at the Summer Olympics
    Rowing at the Summer Olympics has been part of the competition since the 1900 Summer Olympics. Rowing was on the program at the 1896 Summer Olympics but was cancelled due to bad weather. Only men were allowed to compete until the women's events were introduced at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal...

     Medals: 2 Gold
  • World Championship
    World Rowing Championships
    The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...

     Medals: 4 Gold, 2 Silver

Olympic Games

  • 2008
    Rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics
    Rowing competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 9 to August 17, at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.- Events :14 sets of medals were awarded in the following events:*Single sculls men*Pairs men...

     - Gold, Coxless Four (with Andy Hodge
    Andrew Triggs-Hodge
    Andrew Triggs Hodge MBE is a British rower and an Olympic and double World Champion.- Education :...

    , Peter Reed
    Peter Reed (rower)
    Peter Reed MBE is a British Olympic rower. Reed has achieved two gold medals and two silver medals in the World Championships, and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he earned a gold medal in the Men's coxless four.- Biography :Reed was born in Seattle, but his family moved to England several months...

    , Tom James
    Tom James
    Thomas James MBE is a Welsh rower, Olympic Champion, and victorious Cambridge Blue.-Education:James was educated at The King's School, Chester, where he took up the sport of rowing...

    )
  • 2004
    Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics
    Rowing at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Centre and featured 550 competitors taking part in 14 events....

     - Gold, Coxless Four (with Matthew Pinsent
    Matthew Pinsent
    Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent CBE is an English rower and broadcaster. During his rowing career, he won 10 world championship gold medals and four consecutive Olympic gold medals, of which three were with Steve Redgrave...

    , James Cracknell
    James Cracknell
    James Cracknell, OBE is a British rowing champion and double Olympic gold medalist and adventurer. Cracknell is married to TV and radio presenter Beverley Turner; they have three children. In the New Year Honours List, 2004, he was appointed OBE for services to sport...

    , Ed Coode
    Ed Coode
    Ed Coode, MBE is a British rower, twice World Champion and Olympic Gold medalist.Educated at Papplewick School, Ascot, Eton College, University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Oxford University, where he attended Keble College and rowed in the Oxford crew at the 1998 Boat Race.Coode won his first World...

    )

World Championships

  • 2007
    2007 World Rowing Championships
    The 30th World Rowing Championships was held between August 26 and September 2, 2007 in Munich, Germany.-Medal summary:- Men's & Women's Events :- Paralympic Events :...

     - 4th, Coxless Four (with Peter Reed
    Peter Reed (rower)
    Peter Reed MBE is a British Olympic rower. Reed has achieved two gold medals and two silver medals in the World Championships, and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he earned a gold medal in the Men's coxless four.- Biography :Reed was born in Seattle, but his family moved to England several months...

    , Alex Partridge
    Alex Partridge
    Alex Partridge is a British rower, and an Olympic silver medallist- Education :Partridge started rowing at Monkton Combe School, Bath, and attended Oxford Brookes University to study Technology Management...

     and Andrew Triggs-Hodge
    Andrew Triggs-Hodge
    Andrew Triggs Hodge MBE is a British rower and an Olympic and double World Champion.- Education :...

    )
  • 2006 - Gold, Coxless Four (with Peter Reed
    Peter Reed (rower)
    Peter Reed MBE is a British Olympic rower. Reed has achieved two gold medals and two silver medals in the World Championships, and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he earned a gold medal in the Men's coxless four.- Biography :Reed was born in Seattle, but his family moved to England several months...

    , Alex Partridge
    Alex Partridge
    Alex Partridge is a British rower, and an Olympic silver medallist- Education :Partridge started rowing at Monkton Combe School, Bath, and attended Oxford Brookes University to study Technology Management...

     and Andrew Triggs-Hodge
    Andrew Triggs-Hodge
    Andrew Triggs Hodge MBE is a British rower and an Olympic and double World Champion.- Education :...

    )
  • 2005 - Gold, Coxless Four (with Peter Reed
    Peter Reed (rower)
    Peter Reed MBE is a British Olympic rower. Reed has achieved two gold medals and two silver medals in the World Championships, and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he earned a gold medal in the Men's coxless four.- Biography :Reed was born in Seattle, but his family moved to England several months...

    , Alex Partridge
    Alex Partridge
    Alex Partridge is a British rower, and an Olympic silver medallist- Education :Partridge started rowing at Monkton Combe School, Bath, and attended Oxford Brookes University to study Technology Management...

     and Andrew Triggs-Hodge
    Andrew Triggs-Hodge
    Andrew Triggs Hodge MBE is a British rower and an Olympic and double World Champion.- Education :...

    )
  • 2003
    2003 World Rowing Championships
    The 26th World Rowing Championships were held in Milan, Italy. The international rowing season usually ends with the World Championship regatta. Apart from the Olympics this is the most prestigious international rowing event attracting over 1000 rowers....

     - Silver, Coxless Four (with Josh West
    Josh West
    Joshua "Josh" West is a British rower.-Early life:West is Jewish, was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. His mother is American, and his father is British.-Rowing career:...

    , Rick Dunn and Toby Garbett
    Toby Garbett
    Toby Garbett is a British rower.- External links :* at sports-reference.com...

    )
  • 2002
    2002 World Rowing Championships
    The 25th World Rowing Championships were held between September 15 and September 22, 2002 in Seville, Spain.-Medal summary:- Medals table :...

     - Silver, Coxless Four (with Josh West
    Josh West
    Joshua "Josh" West is a British rower.-Early life:West is Jewish, was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. His mother is American, and his father is British.-Rowing career:...

    , Rick Dunn and Toby Garbett
    Toby Garbett
    Toby Garbett is a British rower.- External links :* at sports-reference.com...

    )
  • 2001
    2001 World Rowing Championships
    The 24th World Rowing Championships were held between August 19 and August 26, 2001 in Lucerne, Switzerland.-Medal summary:- Medals table :...

     - Gold, Coxless Four (with Ed Coode
    Ed Coode
    Ed Coode, MBE is a British rower, twice World Champion and Olympic Gold medalist.Educated at Papplewick School, Ascot, Eton College, University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Oxford University, where he attended Keble College and rowed in the Oxford crew at the 1998 Boat Race.Coode won his first World...

    , Rick Dunn and Toby Garbett
    Toby Garbett
    Toby Garbett is a British rower.- External links :* at sports-reference.com...

    )
  • 2000
    2000 World Rowing Championships
    The 23rd World Rowing Championships were held between August 1 and August 6, 2000 in conjunction with the World Junior Rowing Championships in Zagreb, Croatia....

     - Gold, Coxed Four (with Alistair Potts
    Alistair Potts
    Alistair James Potts is a British World Champion cox.Educated at Winchester College and the University of Edinburgh , Potts coxed the men's four, men's lightweight eight and women's eight at the 1994 Commonwealth Regatta representing Scotland...

    , Rick Dunn, Toby Garbett
    Toby Garbett
    Toby Garbett is a British rower.- External links :* at sports-reference.com...

     and Graham Smith
    Graham Smith (rower)
    Graham Smith is a British rower.- External links :* at sports-reference.com...

    )
  • 1999
    1999 World Rowing Championships
    The 22nd World Rowing Championships were held between August 22 and August 29, 1999 in St. Catharines, Canada.-Medal summary:- Medals table :...

     - 5th, Coxless Pair (with Simon Dennis
    Simon Dennis
    Simon Dennis MBE is a British rower and Olympic gold medalist.He started rowing at St Paul's School, London, coached by Michael Streat and his first international appearance was in 1994 in the GB eight at the Junior World Rowing Championships, winning a bronze medal...

    )
  • 1998
    1998 World Rowing Championships
    The 21st World Rowing Championships were held between September 9 and 13, 1998 in Cologne, Germany. The World Rowing Championships are organized by FISA - International Rowing Federation.-Medal summary:- Medals table :...

     - 6th, Coxless Pair (with Fred Scarlett
    Fred Scarlett
    Fred Scarlett is an Olympic gold medalist as a British rower.He took up rowing at The King's School Canterbury, and was Captain of Boats in his final year. At Oxford Brookes University, he won two Henley Royal Regatta medals, in the Temple Challenge Cup, and the Visitors Challenge Cup...

    )

External links

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