AFP/London
Alison Williamson is set to compete in a national record-equalling sixth Olympic Games after her place in Britain’s archery team for London 2012 was confirmed yesterday.
Williamson... all set to equal national record
The 40-year-old, who won a bronze medal at the 2004 Games in Athens, missed out on an automatic spot at the final selection shoot at Lilleshall in central England, last month.
But she has since been handed the last discretionary spot and her place in the team was made public yesterday at Lord’s, which will take a break from its usual role as the ‘home of cricket’ to stage the Olympic archery tournament from July 27 to August 3.
“I’m so thrilled and proud to have made it to my sixth Olympics,” Williamson said. “It makes all the sacrifices, and all the hard work, over many years, worthwhile.
“Now I can start to look forward to the enormous honour of representing my country at a home Olympic Games. It just doesn’t get any better.”
Williamson is only the third Briton after Tessa Sanderson, the javelin gold medallist at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, and fencer Bill Hoskyns to be selected for six Olympics.
Meanwhile, Chilean swimmer Kristel Kobrich is concentrating on just one race at the Olympic Games in London, to avoid a repeat of the psychological burnout that shattered her medal dreams in Beijing four years ago.
Kobrich, a veteran of two previous Games and one of Chile’s medal hopes in London, will take part in the 800 metres freestyle and give the 10km open water race a miss.
The 26-year-old was 20th in the 800 metres heats in Beijing, a psychological blow that badly affected her performance in open water five days later when she failed to stay the course.
