Victoria Williamson

Victoria Eve Williamson (born 15 September 1993) is an elite English bobsledder and former track cyclist who specialised in the sprint disciplines. In 2013, with Rebecca James, she won the bronze medal in the team sprint at the World Track Cycling Championships.

Victoria Williamson

Williamson in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Victoria Eve Williamson
Nickname	Vics
Born	(1993-09-15) 15 September 1993 (age 31)[1] Hevingham, Norfolk, England
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	62 kg (137 lb)
Team information
Current team	VC Norwich
Discipline	Track
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprint Track
Medal record Women's track cycling Representing  Great Britain World Championships 2013 Minsk Team sprint

Early life

Williamson was educated at Norwich High School for Girls.^[2] At the suggestion of one of her coaches at the City of Norwich Athletic Club, she switched from athletics to cycling in 2008.^[1][3] She entered the Girls4Gold programme, a group that searches for talented athletes with a potential for cycling, before being accepted into the Olympic Development Programme (ODP).^[4] She then progressed onto the elite Podium Programme two years later, and made her senior debut at the 2013 World Championships in Minsk.

Career

At the 2011 Juniors Track World Championships in Moscow, she won a silver medal in the 500m time trial, a bronze medal in the sprint and came fifth in the keirin.^[5] She made her senior world debut very shortly after, and won a bronze medal with partner Becky James in the team sprint at the 2013 Track World Championships in Minsk, Belarus.^[6] In 2017 she signed with Under Armour.

Crash and marriage

In January 2016, Williamson was seriously injured in a crash with Dutch rider Elis Ligtlee during an omnium sprint race at the Six Days of Rotterdam (Zesdaagse Rotterdam). The resulting collision with a barrier left Williamson with a broken neck and back, dislocating her pelvis and slipping a disc in her neck.^[7]

Williamson was left with a loss of feeling in her left leg, her starting leg, due to a trapped nerve but was hoping for full feeling by mid 2018. During this period she married Oliver Barnes. She hoped to complete her rehabilitation by the end of January and to race at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.^[8]

Return to track cycling

2018 saw the separation of her marriage. In late January 2019, three years after suffering career-threatening injuries, Williamson returned to competition. The now 25-year-old took part in the GB Cycling Team for sprint events for the 2018–19 UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong.^[9] and qualified for the 2019 Track World Championships.^[10]

Switch to bobsleigh

In December 2019 Williamson announced that she was switching from cycling to bobsleigh, having participated in her first training camp with the British bobsleigh team.^[11]

Palmarès

2009

2nd Sprint, British National Track Championships – U16

2010

1st Sprint, British National Track Championships – Junior

2nd 500m TT, British National Track Championships – Junior

2011

2nd 500m TT, UCI Track World Championships – Junior

3rd Sprint, UCI Track World Championships – Junior

1st Sprint, British National Track Championships – Junior

1st 500m TT, British National Track Championships – Junior

3rd Sprint, British National Track Championships

3rd Keirin, British National Track Championships

2012

2nd Sprint, British National Track Championships

2nd Keirin, British National Track Championships

2nd 500m TT, British National Track Championships

2013

3rd Team sprint, UCI Track World Championships (with Becky James)

2nd 500m TT, British National Track Championships

3rd Team sprint, UEC European U23 Track Championships (with Becky James)

2014

Open des Nations sur Piste de Roubaix

1st Team Sprint (with Jessica Varnish)

3rd Sprint

Track Cycling World Cup

3rd Team sprint, Round 3, Guadalajara (with Dannielle Khan)^[12]

2nd Sprint, Revolution – Round 4, Manchester

2nd, British National Team Sprint Championships (with Katy Marchant)^[13]

2nd 500m time trial, British National Track Championships^[14]

3rd Individual sprint, British National Track Championships^[15]

2015

Revolution

1st Sprint – Round 4, Glasgow

2nd Keirin – Round 4, Glasgow

2nd British National Team Sprint Championships (with Shanaze Reade)^[16]

2nd 500m time trial, British National Track Championships^[17]

3rd Individual Sprint, British National Track Championships^[18]

UEC European U23 Track Championships

2nd Team Sprint (with Katy Marchant)

3rd Sprint