Jodie Williams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jodie Williams

Williams at the 2022 European Athletics Championships
Personal information
Born	(1993-09-28) 28 September 1993 (age 31) Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England
Height	1.74 m
Weight	60 kg
Sport
Country	Great Britain & N.I. England
Sport	Women's athletics
Event(s)	100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres
Club	Herts Phoenix AC
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m: 11.17 (Lubbock, 2019) 200 m: 22.46 (Zürich, 2014) 400 m: 49.97 (Tokyo, 2021)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Great Britain Olympic Games Bronze 2024 Paris 4×400 m relay European Championships Gold 2014 Zürich 4x100 m relay Silver 2014 Zürich 200 m Bronze 2022 Munich 4x400 m relay European Indoor Championships Silver 2021 Toruń 4x400 m relay Bronze 2021 Toruń 400 m World Junior Championships Gold 2010 Moncton 100 m Silver 2010 Moncton 200 m World Youth Championships Gold 2009 Brixen 100 m Gold 2009 Brixen 200 m European U23 Championships Gold 2013 Tampere 200 m Silver 2013 Tampere 100 m Silver 2013 Tampere 4×100 m relay European Junior Championships Gold 2011 Tallinn 100 m Gold 2011 Tallinn 200 m Bronze 2011 Tallinn 4×100 m relay Representing  England Commonwealth Games Silver 2014 Glasgow 200 m Bronze 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m relay Bronze 2022 Birmingham 400 m

Jodie Alicia Williams (born 28 September 1993) is a British sprinter who used to run in races. She was known for the 400 metres, but she started her career focusing on shorter races like the 100 and 200 metres.

Jodie was an amazing young athlete. She won many big titles when she was younger. This included being the World Youth Champion in 2009 for both 100 and 200 meters. She also became the World Junior Champion in 2010 for the 100 meters. She continued her success as the European Junior Champion in 2011 for 100 and 200 meters. In 2013, she won the European U23 Championship for the 200 meters.

Jodie had an incredible winning streak early in her career. From 2005 to July 2010, she won 151 races in a row! This amazing run ended when she came second in the 200 meters at the World Junior Championships. Jodie still holds British records for young athletes in the 60m, 100m, and 200m. When she was just sixteen, she was the top British woman in the 200m in 2010.

After some tough times with injuries, Jodie started winning senior medals in 2014. She won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 meters relay and a silver in the 200 meters at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. A few weeks later, she won another silver medal in the 200 meters at the European Championships. She then won her first senior gold medal as part of the Great Britain relay team. They even set a new British Record in the 4 × 100 meters relay.

More injuries slowed her down as she switched to longer sprint races. However, she still won several British championships between 2014 and 2021. In 2021, her hard work paid off. She won an individual bronze medal in the 400 meters at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships. She also won a silver medal in the relay at the same event. At the 2022 European Championships, she was part of the British 4 x 400 relay team. They ran the second-fastest time ever for a British women's team. Jodie also won a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for England. This was her last major international medal.

In 2024, at 30 years old, Jodie was chosen for her third Olympic Games. She ran only in relay races. Jodie finally won her first senior global medal, an Olympic bronze medal. She was part of the Great Britain women's 4 x 400 meters relay team that finished third at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Four months later, with nine international medals and four British national titles, Jodie announced she was retiring from professional athletics.

Jodie Williams: A Sprinting Star

Early Life and Family

Jodie Williams was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England. Her father, Richard Williams, is English. Her mother, Christine Williams, is English with family from Trinidad and Saint Vincent. Both of her parents were sprinters at a county level. Richard ran for Hertfordshire, and Christine ran for Sussex. Jodie also has two younger siblings, a brother named Ben and a sister named Hannah.

Jodie started taking athletics seriously when she was 13 years old. She went to Heath Mount School and Queenswood School in Hertfordshire. Later, she attended Dame Alice Owen's School in Potters Bar.

Important people in athletics have praised Jodie. Charles Van Commenee, a former UK Athletics Head Coach, called her "the sort of athlete every country is waiting for." The famous American sprinter Allyson Felix also said, "I think Jodie has great potential. She's young but she can still accomplish a lot of things."

Amazing Junior Career

World Youth Champion

In 2009, Jodie won the England Athletics Under-20 Championships in the 100m. Her time was 11.48 seconds. She then went to Brixen, Italy, for the World Youth Championships. She competed in both the 100m and 200m races.

In the 100m semi-final, she ran 11.40 seconds, which was the fastest time for a youth athlete in the world. In the final, she ran even faster at 11.39 seconds. This won her first world title, beating Ashton Purvis and Alison Peter. In the 200m final, she ran another world-leading youth time of 23.08 seconds. This earned her another gold medal. She was the first girl to win both the 100m and 200m sprints at this competition.

World Junior Championships

Jodie started 2010 in great shape. At the Loughborough Games, she broke the British junior record for the 200m. She ran 22.79 seconds, beating strong senior runners. A week later, she broke the 100m British junior record at the Bedford International Games, running 11.24 seconds. After winning both events at the England Athletics U20 Championships, she went to the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Moncton, Canada.

Jodie continued her winning streak by winning the 100m final in 11.40 seconds. This made it 149 races without a loss. She said she was relieved and felt less pressure after the win.

The next day was the 200m race. She won her heat and semi-final, being the fastest qualifier. However, in the final, she came second to American Stormy Kendrick. This was her first defeat in her athletics career. In the 4 × 100 m relay, the Great Britain team was disqualified because of a bad baton exchange.

European Junior Champion

In 2011, Jodie became the youngest winner of the UK Indoor Championships 60m race. She was 17, the youngest since 1971. She ran her best time of 7.24 seconds. This meant she automatically qualified for the 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris.

In Paris, Jodie finished fourth in the 60m final, running 7.21 seconds. She missed a medal by just 0.01 seconds, but she was still surprised by her performance.

At the European Athletics Junior Championships, Jodie won the 100m. She set a new personal best and championship record of 11.18 seconds. She said she knew she could run that fast because her training times were better than the previous year.

Within 24 hours, she also won the 200m in 22.94 seconds. This was a season's best, even with a strong headwind. Winning both sprints was a first for a British woman. To finish the championships, she ran the last part of the 4 × 100m relay. She helped her team win a bronze medal.

Overcoming Challenges

Jodie struggled with injuries in 2012. She had only raced once before the Olympic Trials. At the trials, she pulled her hamstring during the 100m final. This injury ended her 2012 season.

She later said that 2012 was her "first real setback year." It was hard for her to watch the London Olympics from home. But she told herself she was young and would have more Olympic chances.

In 2013, Jodie focused on getting healthy. She did not compete indoors. Her first race after her injury was a 250m event. She then competed in a 150m race alongside Olympic Champion Allyson Felix.

Jodie won both the 100m and 200m at the England Athletics U23 Championships. This qualified her for the European Under 23 Championships in Tampere, Finland. In Tampere, she won her 100m heat and semi-final. In the final, she came second to Dafne Schippers. In the 200m, Jodie won her heat and then the final with a time of 22.92 seconds. This earned her a gold medal and her sixth international title for her age group.

Senior Successes

Commonwealth and European Medals

In 2014, Jodie had a tough indoor season. She had to pull out of the British Athletics 60m indoor final after fainting. She finished her indoor season with a best time of 7.32 seconds.

In April, Jodie competed in Florida, USA. She ran the 100m in 11.20 seconds. On the same day, she ran the 200m in a personal best time of 22.76 seconds. This made her tied for 9th on the UK all-time list for 200m.

In July 2014, Jodie competed for England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She won her first heat and reached the semi-finals. There, she finished second, qualifying for the final. In the final, Jodie won a silver medal with a new personal best of 22.50 seconds. This was her first senior medal. This time moved her to equal second on the UK all-time list.

Later at the Commonwealth Games, Jodie joined the 4 × 100m relay team. The England team won a bronze medal, finishing behind Jamaica and Nigeria.

In August 2014, Jodie competed at the 2014 European Championships in Zurich. She won her heat and semi-final in the 200m. In the final, Jodie won a silver medal with a new personal best of 22.46 seconds. This was her second individual senior medal in two weeks. This time made her second on the UK all-time list. The race was won by Dafne Schippers.

Jodie Williams announced her retirement from track and field in October 2024.

British National Titles

Jodie became the British champion in the 200 meters for the second time in 2019. Her sister Hannah then won the same title in 2020. In 2021, Jodie achieved a rare double win at the British Championships. She won both the 400 meters and 200 meters, earning her third and fourth national titles.

Beyond the Track

Jodie has been part of many advertising campaigns. For example, she was featured in the National Portrait Gallery's 'Road to 2012: Aiming High' exhibition.

Jodie was also a runner-up for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year award twice. She came second to diver Tom Daley in both 2009 and 2010.

Her Major Achievements

Here is a list of Jodie Williams's major results in competitions:

Representing  Great Britain /  England

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
2009	World Youth Championships	Brixen, Italy	1st	100 m	11.39
			1st	200 m	23.08
2010	World Junior Championships	Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada	1st	100 m	11.40 (-0.7 m/s)
			2nd	200 m	23.19 (-0.5 m/s)
			—	4 × 100 m relay	DNF
2011	European Indoor Championships	Paris, France	4th	60 m	7.21
2011	European Junior Championships	Tallinn, Estonia	1st	100 m	11.18
			1st	200 m	22.94
			3rd	4 × 100 m	45.00
2012	World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	16th (sf)	60 m	7.32
2013	European U23 Championships	Tampere, Finland	2nd	100 m	11.42 (-0.7 m/s)
			1st	200 m	22.92 (-0.5 m/s)
			2nd	4 × 100 m	43.83
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	18th (sf)	200 m	23.21
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, Scotland	2nd	200 m	22.50
			3rd	4 × 100 m relay	43.10
	European Championships	Zurich, Switzerland	2nd	200 m	22.46
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	42.25 NR
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	4th	4 × 100 m relay	42.10
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	22nd (sf)	200 m	22.99
2018	European Championships	Berlin, Germany	13th (sf)	200 m	23.28
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	11th (sf)	200 m	22.78
			4th	4 × 400 m relay	3:23.02
2021	European Indoor Championships	Toruń, Poland	3rd	400 m	51.73
	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	6th	400 m	49.97
			5th	4 × 400 m relay	3:22.59
2022	Commonwealth Games	Birmingham, United Kingdom	3rd	400 m	51.26
	European Championships	Munich, Germany	4th	200 m	22.85
			3rd	4 × 400 m relay	3:21.74
2024	Olympic Games	Paris, France	2nd (h)	4 × 400 m relay	3:24.72

Her Best Race Times

Here are Jodie Williams's personal best times for different distances:

See also

In Spanish: Jodie Williams para niños