Kerri Leigh Williams (née Gowler; born 18 December 1993) is a New Zealand

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

. She is a national champion, an Olympic champion and double medallist, a three-time world champion and a current (2019) world champion in both the coxless pair and the women's eight. Williams was born in

Raetihi Raetihi, a small town in the center of New Zealand's North Island, is located at the junction of State Highways 4 and 49 in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. It lies in a valley between Tongariro and Whanganui National Parks, 11 kilometres west ...

in 1993. She is of

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

descent, affiliating with

Rangitāne Rangitāne is a Māori iwi (tribe). Their rohe (territory) is in the Manawatū, Horowhenua, Wairarapa and Marlborough areas of New Zealand.

iwi. She received her education at

Nga Tawa Diocesan School Nga Tawa Diocesan School, also known as the Wellington Diocesan School for Girls, is a state-integrated, Anglican girls’ boarding school situated in the heart of the Rangitikei District. It is located just outside the township of Marton in ...

in Marton. The school first started to offer a rowing programme in 2008 and a year later, Williams took this up. At the time, she was also competing as an equestrian but soon started focussing on rowing so much that she had to choose one of the sports. Her trainer told her three weeks after she had started rowing that she would one day represent New Zealand.

Jackie Gowler Jackie Gowler (born 7 June 1996) is a New Zealand representative rower. Biography Gowler was born in 1996. She received her secondary schooling at Nga Tawa Diocesan School in Marton. While at school, she took up rowing inspired by her elder ...

, her younger sister by three years, took up rowing in 2010 inspired by her success; they have both made it into the New Zealand national rowing team. Their elder sister, Jaimee Gowler, remains active with horse riding. After school, Williams became a member of the Aramoho Wanganui Rowing Club. Williams' international career started in 2013 with the women's

eight 8 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 8 or eight may also refer to: Years * AD 8, the eighth year of the AD era * 8 BC, the eighth year before the AD era Art * The Eight (Ashcan School), a group of twentieth century painters associated with the ...

. After participation in two

World Rowing Cup The World Rowing Cup is an international rowing competition organized by FISA The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillan ...

s she won the B-final at the

2013 World Rowing Championships The 2013 World Rowing Championships were World Rowing Championships that were held from 25 August to 1 September 2013 at Tangeum Lake, Chungju in South Korea. The annual week-long rowing regatta was organized by FISA (the International Rowing F ...

Chungju Chungju (충주시) is a city in North Chungcheong province, South Korea. Uamsan is a mountain located within the outskirts of the city. The city is famous for the annual martial arts festival held in October. Also of note, former UN Secretar ...

, South Korea. Williams won the gold medal in the coxless four at the

2014 World Rowing Championships The 2014 World Rowing Championships were the 44th edition of the World Rowing Championships and were held from 24 to 31 August 2014 at Bosbaan, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, the second occasion on which the event had been held in Amsterdam, or ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

alongside

Kayla Pratt Kayla Pratt (born 27 May 1991) is a New Zealand rower. She won the gold medal in the coxless four at the 2014 World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam. With the women's eight, she came fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics ) , nations = 207 (incl ...

Kelsey Bevan Kelsey Bevan (married name Campbell, born 10 April 1990) is a New Zealand representative rower. She is an Olympian and a 2019 world champion winning the women's eight title at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. Bevan was born in 1990. She rec ...

, and

Grace Prendergast Grace Elizabeth Prendergast (born 30 June 1992) is a former New Zealand sweep rower. She is a 15-time national champion in the premier category, an Olympic champion, a five-time world champion and the current (2022) world champion in the coxle ...

. With the

women's eight An eight is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing (crew). It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or "cox". Each of the eight rowers has one oar. The rowers, who sit in ...

, she came fourth at the

2016 Rio Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

. She is New Zealand Olympian number 1278. At the

2017 World Rowing Championships The 2017 World Rowing Championships were the 47th edition of the World Rowing Championships that were held from 24 September to 1 October 2017 in Sarasota, Florida. Host selection During 2013, Plovdiv and Sarasota, Florida both applied to host ...

, she became world champion in the women's

pair Pair or PAIR or Pairing may refer to: Government and politics * Pair (parliamentary convention), matching of members unable to attend, so as not to change the voting margin * ''Pair'', a member of the Prussian House of Lords * ''Pair'', the Frenc ...

partnered with Prendergast. Williams and Prendergast regained that title at the

2019 World Rowing Championships The 2019 World Rowing Championships were held in Ottensheim, Austria from 25 August to 1 September 2019. Apart from Ottensheim, the right to host the championships was contested by Hamburg in Germany, Račice in the Czech Republic, and Varese ...

. Competing at the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the List of Olympic Games h ...

at the

Sea Forest Waterway The is a regatta venue for rowing and canoeing, situated in Kōtō and Ōta, Tokyo Bay, in Japan. History The venue was built for the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games. Construction began in 2016 and it was inaugurated in June 2019. ...

, Prendergast and Williams won their heat, the semi-final in a new world best time (beaten ten minutes earlier by Greece in the first semi-final), and the A final, for Olympic gold. They also won the heat in the eight, just three hours after their pair's heat. In the final, the New Zealand eight won silver behind Canada. In the 2022 Queen's Birthday and Platinum Jubilee Honours, Williams was appointed a

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rend ...

, for services to rowing.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Kerri 1993 births Living people Rangitāne people New Zealand Māori sportspeople New Zealand female rowers People from Raetihi World Rowing Championships medalists for New Zealand Rowers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic rowers of New Zealand People educated at Nga Tawa Diocesan School Rowers at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in rowing Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand Olympic silver medalists for New Zealand Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit 21st-century New Zealand women