Williams was one of the greatest athletes produced by New Zealand and one of the most versatile, if not the most. Had the pentathlon or heptathlon been held in the early 50s, Williams would have been almost unconquerable. She won the long jump and was second in the javelin at the Empire Games in Auckland in 1950 and two years later became the first female New Zealander to win an Olympic title when she won the long jump at the Games in Helsinki, though only after a series of heart-stopping no-jumps. She was also 10th in the discus and sixth in the shot put. At the Empire Games in 1954 in Vancouver, Williams won the shot put, discus and long jump and was sixth in the 80 metres hurdles. Williams had also set a world record (6.28 metres) for the long jump earlier that year in Gisborne. She also played basketball for New Zealand. She was voted Otago Sportsperson of the Century in 2000. Return to the Inductee list