Yvette Williams
Personal information
Born
25 April 1929
Yvette Winifred Williams , CNZM , MBE (later Yvette Corlett , born 25 April 1929), 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
References
External links
Persondata
Name
Williams, Yvette
Alternative names
Short description
New Zealand athlete
Date of birth
25 April 1929
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death