Soca Warriors Online Discussion Forum

Sports => What about Track & Field => Topic started by: Trini _2026 on September 01, 2011, 04:01:19 PM

Title: Moneylegs:Jodie Williams is the Sports Day star ready to take on the world
Post by: Trini _2026 on September 01, 2011, 04:01:19 PM
An old article i though i would post


It should not have been a great surprise to Richard and Christine Williams to find their daughter Jodie was quite successful in Sports Day races at primary school.

After all, both had been decent amateur sprinters at county level themselves. But her margin of victory was to draw gasps of amazement from other parents.


While Richard ran for Sussex and Christine for Herts, Jodie's father has no knowledge of other exceptional athletes in the family.

A possible clue to his child's talent is that his wife is from Trinidad, which has a rich heritage in sprinting.

'Jodie would have finished while her nearest rival was still only about halfway up the track,' recalls Richard. 'At the time, we honestly didn't give it any thought and would just look forward to the next Sports Day.'

Then followed an astonishing five years when the oldest of their three offspring won 151 consecutive races, which only ended with a 200metres defeat at the junior World Championships in Canada 10 days ago.

For the 16-year-old it led to the kind of perk that comes when the world has taken notice - the chance to meet her idol Allyson Felix at a rooftop garden in London.

The three-times 200m world champion is over from America to compete at Crystal Palace in the Aviva Grand Prix which starts on Friday, and offered advice to the teenager from Welwyn Garden City, who on current progress might soon be a serious rival.

London 2012 may be a little early for that, and this weekend's meeting certainly is, as Britain's young sprint phenomenon has opted not to rush to compete at the highest level. But the comparisons between the pair are stark.

Both ran almost identical, world-beating times as 16-year-olds and suffered disappointing losses in the 200m at the World Championships. Felix made her Olympic debut at 18, as Williams plans to do, and completed a university education, another item on the British youngster's agenda.

Jodie yesterday listened intently to Felix, perhaps reflecting on all that has happened since she was 11 and her father took her to Herts Phoenix athletics club.

At the club, there was more shock at her times and her father began studying for coaching qualifications. As it dawned that his daughter needed special help, he found Stanley Madiri, a Zimbabwean living in Luton who had been his nation's sprint coach at the Athens Games.

'It's not like searching for a tennis or golf coach, when you can just look in the Yellow Pages,' said Richard. 'Jodie was spotted by Rob Denmark (the former British distance runner working for UK Athletics) and then put forward for the World Class Performance Programme.'

Her coaching was passed on to Mike McFarlane, another former British international, who still works with her despite leaving UKA. Her parents have insisted Jodie's schoolwork does not suffer and she is soon to begin A-levels in history, maths, psychology and PE.

Nicknamed 'Moneylegs' by her friends, Jodie is also an excellent netball player and a good enough swimmer to be picked for the county.

'We like to look on this as a hobby, albeit a very serious one,' says her father. 'If she makes it for 2012 then good, but our attitude is there is no hurry. We aren't pushy and if she wanted to give it up tomorrow that would be fine, but she seems very committed.'

Articulate and well-spoken, Jodie adds: 'You have got to make sacrifices in athletics. I'm already quite used to it, although it's annoying because all my friends are starting to go out and often I can't go. I've just got to try to have fun when I can and luckily they are very supportive.

'It's a sacrifice you are willing to make when you are standing on the podium one day and thinking, "Wow, this is what it's all for".'

She is now at ease with having failed to add the 200m to her 100m title in Canada.

'I was pretty devastated, but looking back it might have been a blessing in disguise. Nobody can ever take those five years away from me and now I can go through the qualifying rounds not thinking I have got to stay unbeaten. Maybe I ran a bit too hard in those in Canada and was a bit tired for the final.'

Elegant runner Felix might soon be looking over her shoulder, but then so might Jodie herself. Her 12-year-old sister Hannah is clocking near identical times to hers at that age, threatening to make this a Williams production line.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1301644/Jodie-Williams-sprint-sensation-ready-world.html#ixzz1WjzDi6TQ


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1301644/Jodie-Williams-sprint-sensation-ready-world.html#ixzz1Wjz5eMGZ



Title: Re: Moneylegs:Jodie Williams is the Sports Day star ready to take on the world
Post by: AirMan on September 01, 2011, 04:50:34 PM
Seen Jodie run last year at the World Juniors. The talent is there..just has to be developed..will not be surprised if she wins medals for Britain in the future.
1]; } ?>