This week’s Olympic woman hopeful is Jodie Williams. Talented Jodie represents Britain’s greatest chance of taking a medal at the 100 and 200 metres for quite some time.

Jodie Williams was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire to parents who were both county level sprinters.  It was her father recognized her talent at a young age: “Jodie would have finished while her nearest rival was still only about halfway up the track”.

Jodie has always been an ultra-consistent competitor who has won 151 consecutive races at junior level.   She won double gold at 100m and 200m in the 2009 World Youth Championships, before taking silver in the 200m at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Canada. She then went on to take double gold in the 100m and 200m at the 2011 European Junior Championships despite being the youngest woman in both races.

This has been a great year for Jodie, with her running a season’s best time of 7.29 at the Aviva UK Indoor Championships. She was subsequently chosen to run at the IAAF World Championships in Istanbul,Turkey. Before the championships began, Jodie stated that her aim was to make the semi-finals at the championships. In the heat, she came 3rd with a time of 7.40 s and in the semi-final she came 5th with a time of 7.32 s and did not advance to the final.

After the World Indoor Championships, Jodie announced that she was to focus on getting selected for the 100 m at the London 2012 Games. She stated, ‘Now it’s onwards and upwards for the Olympics. I’m really concentrating on the 100m because it’s always been a dream of mine to do the 100m at the Olympics’.

Jodie put her career on temporary hold earlier in 2011 so she could study for her A-Level exams in maths and psychology.  She fully intends to go to university in autumn 2012 – a home win in the Olympics may seem like a doddle after the trials and tribulations of the UCAS form.