FORMER US sprinter Lauryn Williams paid tribute to her late father after becoming just the second American athlete to win medals at both Summer and Winter Olympics.
Williams, who won 100m silver at the 2004 Athens Olympics and was part of the gold medal-winning 4x100m relay squad at the London 2012 Games, finished second in the womenâs bobsleigh today.
âHow to live is what my dad taught me,â Williams said of her father, who died of leukaemia in 2008.
âHow to put things together, how to make things work. He was the first person in 2004 who said, âGo out there and do your best. Thereâs no failure when you try your hardest.ââ
The 30-year-old brakewoman for USA-1, piloted by Elana Meyers, said her main aim in Sochi was to win for the team, not for personal glory.
âI came here not to make history but to help the USA. And I feel like I did the best I could for it and Iâm really excited with our performance and weâre happy to be here,â Williams said.
âAny time I step on any track, ice track, regular track, any kind of track, my goal is to win.â
Had she won, Williams would have become the first woman to win gold at both Summer and Winter Games.
