The British athlete looks back on her stellar career that saw her shine on the global stage in the 100m, 200m and 400m
Jodie Williams, a three-time Olympian, officially announced her retirement last month, bringing her incredible career to a close after one final performance at the Paris Olympics.
There, she helped Team GB secure a bronze medal in the women’s 4x400m relay – a fitting end to a journey that has spanned more than a decade and included numerous highs, some lows, and a lot of hard-earned success.
The 31-year-old leaves the sport on her own terms, a decision she is at peace with. Her final race in Paris was not just about the medal, but about being able to walk away knowing she has done everything she set out to do.
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“It’s really special for me to be able to walk away knowing that I have done everything that I wanted to do and I was very present in the final years of my career,” says Williams.
“I can walk away on my own terms rather than injury or something else forcing me out, or simply my body giving up on me.
“I’ve always wanted to make sure I wrap things up in a conscious way and it feels like the right time for me. Mentally, the last three years have been a real push and I am really proud of myself for everything I have managed to achieve.”
Williams’ rise to success began when she was still a teenager. She quickly made a name for herself as a teenager, claiming world junior and youth titles over 100m.
She also won European junior and under-23 golds, whilst also making the front cover of AW on numerous occasions.
As a senior sprinter, Williams found her stride in the 200m, where she would go on to claim numerous medals, including silver at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games.
She cemented herself as the sixth-fastest British 200m runner, clocking a personal best of 22.46 in 2014 to take second place at the European Championships, behind Dafne Schippers.
Looking back, Williams highlights her standout moments with pride – especially her victories at the Glasgow 2014 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she won 200m silver and 400m bronze, respectively.
“My individual Commonwealth medals were really special to me. Glasgow was my first ever senior medal and I shared the podium with Bianca [Williams], in 2022 I got to share the podium with Victoria [Ohuruogu] and both of those moments were very poignant moments in my career.
“You know, 2022 was a really tough year for me. I had a really big come down in 2021 and my body went haywire and I didn’t manage to get a lot of training done at all. It was a huge push and I took a lot of risks to get myself to that stage so the medal was very special to me.”
One of the most pivotal moments in Williams’ career came when she made the switch from the 100m and 200m to focus on the 400m. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it proved to be a defining one.
“I always knew that I had the engine for 400m’s but I’m a very passionate person and I’m only going to go for something if it’s in the event I love,” says Williams.
“I never had any interest in running the 400m even though I knew I had a talent for it. I dabbled in it a couple years before the pandemic and I had some time to think.
“I was becoming dillusioned with the sport and I felt if I didn’t try something new, I was probably not going to continue in the sport for much longer. I thought it would shake things up for me and it definitely did.”
Williams took on the 400m seriously in 2019, joining the 4x400m relay team at the World Championships in Doha. The team of Williams, Emily Diamond, Zoey Clark and Laviai Nielsen finished fourth.
In her second Olympic appearance in Tokyo – after reaching the 200m semi-finals at Rio 2016 – she finished sixth in the 400m final, running her fastest ever time of 49.47.
Williams was also part of the 4x400m team that placed fifth, a sign that her shift to the 400m was paying off.
But it was in Paris that provided ultimate vindication. Running third in the 4x400m heats, Williams clocked a 51.39 leg, helping the team secure a spot in the final.
With a final-team change, all eight athletes including, Amber Anning, Yemi Mary John, Hannah Kelly, Laviai Nielsen, Lina Nielsen, Nicole Yeargin, and Victoria Ohuruogu got to share the podium for the bronze.
“I’ve always loved 4x400ms, it’s such a different event to the flat,” says Williams. “I’ve always watched them and I really like running in a pack so I think it’s really cool that it ended up being my Olympic medal.
“Standing on that podium with those girls was incredible and it was so special that all eight of us got to stand on the podium together. It felt like a full circle moment to share a podium with that many incredible women.”
Though Williams had already made the decision to retire before the Games, it was the medal and the outpouring of support that made her realise the impact she’d had over the years.
“It’s funny when I actually made the announcement, it suddenly all felt very real,” says Williams. “Seeing the outpouring of love was honestly so touching.
“I don’t think you always realize the impact that you’ve had when you are so focused on training and doing what you’re doing. I’ve always been someone that wants to stay very authentic and I’ve always tried to be very open and try and give a greater insight into what the reality of sports is.
“Everything that I wanted to be in the sport, regardless of achievements or medals, is someone that was just authentic and true to themselves and didn’t feel pressured to move in a certain way. I’m just so glad that that was seen and received by so many people.”
You can find all of our original coverage from Williams’ achievements over the years via the Athletics Weekly archive.
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