Yvette Williams

Yvette Williams

Personal information
Born	25 April 1929 Dunedin, New Zealand
Medal record Women's Athletics Competitor for  New Zealand Olympic Games Gold 1952 Helsinki Long jump Commonwealth Games Gold 1950 Auckland Long Jump Gold 1954 Vancouver Long Jump Gold 1954 Vancouver Discus Gold 1954 Vancouver Shot put Silver 1950 Auckland Javelin

Yvette Winifred Williams, CNZM, MBE (later Yvette Corlett, born 25 April 1929 in Dunedin), is a retired athlete from New Zealand, the first woman from her country to win an Olympic gold medal. She won her Olympic gold medal in the Long Jump event in 1952 held at Helsinki.

In 1954, Williams broke the women's long jump world record at Gisborne, New Zealand, with a leap of 6.28 metres.

Honours

In the 1953 New Year Honours, Williams was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services in women's athletics.^[1] She was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to athletics in the 2011 New Year Honours.^[2]

Williams was inducted into the New Zealand Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2000 she was voted Otago Sportsperson of the Century.^[3]

Honorific eponyms

The "Yvette Williams Retirement Village" in the Dunedin suburb of Roslyn is named in her honour.^[4]

See also

• New Zealand Olympic medallists

References

• Butcher, Margot (2010). Golden Girls: Celebrating New Zealand’s six female Olympic gold medallists. Auckland: HarperSports/HarperCollins. pp. 16–37. ISBN 978-1-86950-892-0. 

External links

• Yvette Williams listing at NZ Hall of Fame
• Photo of Yvette Williams jumping, 1954
• Article (with video) on Yvette Williams

Records
Preceded by Fanny Blankers-Koen	Women's Long Jump World Record Holder 20 February 1954 – 18 November 1955	Succeeded by Galina Vinogradova