Лорин Уильямс: от спринта к бобслею – путь к олимпийским медалям.

American sprinter and bobsledder

Lauryn Williams (born September 11, 1983) is an American sprinter and bobsledder. She was the gold medalist in the 100 meter dash at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics and won silver medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2007 World Championships, and 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships. She won a silver medal in the two woman bobsleigh at the 2014 Winter Olympics. A World Junior Champion in 2002, she went on to win the 100 m at the 2003 Pan American Games and claimed the NCAA title over the distance for the University of Miami the following year. She has also featured as part of the American 4×100 meter relay team, winning gold medals at the 2005 and 2007 World Championships and at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Williams is one of six athletes to have won a medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games, as well as the first American woman to do so.

Williams was born and raised in suburban Pittsburgh and Detroit and currently resides in suburban Pittsburgh. She holds her high school records for the 100, 200m, long jump and 4x100 meters relay. She was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the university's highest honor.

Williams was a part of the 4x100 meter relay team at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, where she anchored the American team with Angela Williams, Chryste Gaines and Inger Miller in their heat. She did not run in the final. Later that season, she participated in the 2003 Pan American Games in the 100 metre event. She went on to claim gold in a time of 11.12, followed closely by Angela Williams and Liliana Allen. Williams is a silver medalist in the 100 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics and a 4 time medalist at the World Championships in Athletics, where she won (together with Angela Daigle, Muna Lee and Me'Lisa Barber) a gold medal in the 4x100 m relay in 2005 and 2007, as well as gold and silver in the 100m in 2005 and 2007 editions of the meet. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Williams ran the third leg for the women’s 4x100 relay team in the final. Marion Jones, who ran the second leg, and Williams failed to complete the baton exchange within the 20 meter passing zone, resulting in disqualification of the U. S. team. In the Beijing Olympics of 2008, Williams ran the anchor leg in the relay, but a mix up in the semi final with team mate Torri Edwards caused Edwards to drop the baton. Williams picked up the baton to finish in last place, but the USA was disqualified because she had had to run outside her lane in order to retrieve the baton. At the individual 100 metres sprint she placed 2nd in her first round heat behind Christine Arron in a time of 11.38 to advance to the second round. There she improved her time to 11.07 seconds and placed 2nd again, this time behind Kerron Stewart. With the third time in her semi final heat behind Shelly Ann Fraser and Muna Lee she qualified for the final in 11.10 seconds. In the final she came to 11.03, finishing in fourth place, behind three runners from Jamaica. A week before the World Championships began, she was part of a United States 4 x 100 m relay team that ran the fastest women's sprint relay in twelve years. Williams, Allyson Felix, Muna Lee and Carmelita Jeter finished with a time of 41.58 seconds, bringing them to eighth on the all time list. She spent the entirety of 2010 away from competitive athletics and, among other things, she worked in the athletic department at the University of Miami. She returned to competition in 2011. In the 2012 Olympics in London, Lauryn Williams ran the anchor leg of 4 x 100 meter relay for USA in the qualification round. The team went on to win gold and earn a new world record with a time of 40.82

On January 19, 2014 Williams won her first bobsled gold medal in a World Cup event at Igls, Austria. She was later selected to be a part of the U. S. Olympic 2014 women's bobsled team. On February 19, 2014 Williams along with Elana Meyers won the silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Their first run was a time of 57.26, a track record. Their second run was 57.63, the third was 57.69 and fourth was 58.13 for a total of 3:50.71, a difference of +0.10 from first place, just edged out by Canada 1. Williams is one of six Olympians, three Americans to win medals at the Winter and Summer Olympic Games. Eddie Eagan won Gold as a boxer in 1920 and on the bobsled in 1932. Eddy Alvarez won a Silver Medal in 2014 as a speedskater and another Silver Medal in Tokyo for baseball.

Representing the 2002World Junior ChampionshipsKingston, Jamaica1st100m11.33 (wind: 0.2 m/s)2nd4×100m relay43.662003Pan American GamesSanto Domingo, Dominican Republic 1st100m11.12 secs2004Olympic GamesAthens, Greece 2nd100m10.96 secsWorld Athletics FinalMonaco, Monaco 3rd100m11.21 secs2005World ChampionshipsHelsinki, Finland 1st100m10.93 secsWorld Athletics FinalMonaco, Monaco 3rd100m11.04 secs2006World Indoor ChampionshipsMoscow, Russia 2nd60m7.01 secs2007World ChampionshipsOsaka, Japan 2nd100m11.01 secs2012Olympic GamesLondon, Great Britain 1st4x100m relayCompeted in heats but not in final.2014Olympic GamesSochi, Russia 2nd2 Woman bobsleigh3:50.71