William Sharman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
William Sharman

Sharman at the 2010 Josef Odložil Memorial in Prague
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	(1984-09-12) 12 September 1984 (age 40) Lagos, Nigeria
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	110 metres hurdles
Club	Corby AC
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	110 m hurdles 13.16 s (European Championships)
Medal record Representing  Great Britain European Championships Silver 2014 Zürich 110 m hurdles Representing  England Commonwealth Games Silver 2010 Delhi 110 m hurdles Silver 2014 Glasgow 110 m hurdles

William "Will" Sharman (born 12 September 1984) is a British and Nigerian former athlete. He was a specialist in the 110 metres hurdles race. Will started his sports journey as a high jumper and decathlete. After a shoulder injury, he decided to focus only on hurdling.

Will first competed for Great Britain in 2006 at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. He then took part in the 2007 Summer Universiade. Will became well-known in 2009 when he greatly improved his personal best time. He finished fourth in the 110 metres hurdles final at the 2009 World Championships. This was the first of three times he reached the World Championship final. He later finished fifth in both the 2011 and 2013 finals.

Will was coached by John Anderson. He also worked as a timekeeper for the UK TV show Gladiators. Besides sports, Will is a trained pianist and has two university degrees.

Will Sharman's Athletics Journey

Early Years and Junior Competitions

Will Sharman was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on 12 September 1984. His family soon moved to the United Kingdom, and he grew up in Corby, Northamptonshire.

He first competed in track and field as a junior high jumper. John Anderson, who was a referee for the TV show Gladiators, encouraged Will to focus on athletics. Will trained at Corby Athletics Club. He started competing in the decathlon and 110 metres hurdles. He became the top British athlete under 20 years old in both sports.

In 2003, he won the decathlon at the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) under-20s championships. His first big junior competition was the 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships. There, he finished fifth in the 110 metres hurdles final. In 2005, at the 2005 European Athletics U23 Championships, Will just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth. That year, a shoulder injury affected his javelin throwing. Because of this, he decided to stop competing in the decathlon and focus only on hurdling.

Becoming a Senior Athlete

In 2006, Will did very well in British athletics races. He won three hurdles races before the 2006 European Athletics Championships. He also won the AAA under-23 competition with his best time of 13.49 seconds. Because of these wins, he was chosen for the Great Britain team. This was his first major championship. However, he did not get past the first races in the 110 metres hurdles.

The next year, 2007, was a big step for Will in senior competitions. He was invited to the Birmingham Indoor Games and other important events. Will moved to Loughborough University and started training with George Maciukiewicz, a hurdles coach from Poland. He finished third at the UK Championships, both indoors (in the 60 metres hurdles) and outdoors. He competed at the Bislett Games in 2007, where he ran his best time of the season, 13.68 seconds. This made him the second fastest British athlete that year. He went to the 2007 Summer Universiade but only reached the semi-finals.

In 2008, Will again finished behind other top athletes at the national Olympic trials. He hoped to meet the time needed for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, his best time that season was 13.59 seconds, which was helped by wind. So, he was not chosen for the British Olympic team.

World Championships and Commonwealth Games Success

At the British trials for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, Will finished fourth. This made it seem unlikely he would be chosen. But he was called up at the last minute for the British team. He was not in the first list of athletes. However, he set a new personal best of 13.44 seconds in Loughborough in July. This time met the "A" qualification standard for the event.

In the heats of the 110 metres hurdles, he was the fifth fastest to qualify. He made a bigger impact in the semi-finals. The favorite, world record holder Dayron Robles, got injured. Will won his race with a personal best of 13.38 seconds. In the final race, he finished fourth with another best time of 13.30 seconds. This made him the fastest European in the final. His performance was seen as a highlight for the British team. He had improved his world ranking a lot, from 103rd at the start of the year.

After the World Championships, Will said that winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics was one of his future goals. He continued to perform well in other athletics events.

A wrist injury kept Will from competing at the start of 2010. But he returned in time for the national championships. He won his first outdoor title there. At the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, Will won the silver medal. This was his first medal at a major international competition. He was part of an English team that won all three medals in the event.

Will Sharman's Life Outside of Sports

Will Sharman has many talents beyond being a world-class hurdler. He plays the cornet and is a classically trained pianist. He has a university degree in economics from Leicester University. He also has a master's in banking and finance from Loughborough University. As mentioned, he was also a timekeeper for the Gladiators TV show.

His brother, Richard Sharman, is also an international sportsman. He competed in the 2007 Bobsleigh World Championships. Their father, David Sharman, also played sports, including rugby union for Northampton Saints. He was also a professional pianist. Will's sister, Sarah Sharman, chose an artistic path and became a dancer and actor. Will is a family man with three children. In his free time, he enjoys practicing martial arts.

He appeared in the BBC Horizon documentary "The Truth About Exercise" in 2011.

Will Sharman's Best Times

Will Sharman achieved many personal bests during his career. Here are some of his top performances:

• All information taken from IAAF and Power of 10 profiles.

See also

In Spanish: William Sharman para niños