The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are under way and we are all cheering on Team USA. Lauryn Williams, Olympian and world champion, in an interview with the Chronicle reflected on her favorite Detroit memories, including being the best house on Ardmore, walking to the big blue ice cream truck they never moved and racing boys on the playground at St. Scholastica.
Now not only is she an Olympic Gold Medalist, she is poised to become the first woman to ever win a gold medal in both the Summer and the Winter Olympics.
In 2013, Williams announced her retirement from track and field. However, as a true competitor, she could not ignore the draw of a new challenge — bobsledding. Less than a week after touching a sled for the first time, she finished third at the U.S. National Push Championships in Calgary, Alberta.
This is Williams’ first season competing as a bobsledder, having spent her professional athletic career as a sprinter competing in the 2004 and 2012 Olympics in which she won a silver medal in the 100m and a gold medal 4×100-meter relay respectively.
In addition she has competed for Team USA since 2002, medaling in the 2002 World Junior 100m, 2006 World Indoor 60m. She and the Wolf Pack are hoping to bring another medal home for Team USA.
The Wolf Pack — comprised of Lauryn Williams, Elana Myers, Jamie Greubal, Aja Evans, Jazmine Fenalator and Lolo Jones — are favorites to medal in the two-persons bobsledding competition.
What is the energy like in Sochi, Russia?
It is just like I envisioned Russia. They have done a good job of staying true to their culture and letting that shine through while creating an environment comfortable for people from all over the world.
You originally wanted to quit bobsledding after your first run. What changed your mind?
I am excited to push Elana. She is an awesome person and an awesome athlete. While I did think about not taking a second trip down the track, I thought more about me being a competitor and not being a quitter.
What would it mean for you to become the first woman to win a gold medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics?
First, it would be a great honor to accomplish this feat and make history in such an awesome way, but this is a team sport. There are six of us on the Olympic team and I ride in a sled with another person, so any medals won are a victory for the Wolf Pack and the entire country.
What are you most looking forward to doing after the Sochi Olympics?
I am most looking forward to spending time with my family and friends who’ve supported me every step of the way. I think it’s safe to say that these will be my last Olympic Games, but I won’t say for sure because you never know.
