Roy Alfred Williams (born 9 September 1934) is a former

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete from New Zealand, who won gold in the

decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...

at the 1966 Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, but was overlooked for the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games (in 1964 he was in training in California, and was not seen by the selectors). He also competed in the

1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games (Welsh: ''Gemau Ymerodraeth Prydain a'r Gymanwlad'' 1958) were held in Cardiff, Wales, from 18 to 26 July 1958. It was the sixth edition of what would come to be known as the Commonwealth Games, the ...

at Cardiff in the long jump and triple jump, and in the

1970 British Commonwealth Games The 1970 British Commonwealth Games were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 16 to 25 July 1970. This was the first time the name British Commonwealth Games was adopted, the first time metric units rather than imperial units were used in all eve ...

at Edinburgh in the decathlon. He won the national decathlon title 11 times between 1956 and 1970, as well as the 120 yards hurdles title in 1965, the long jump title in 1958 and the discus title in 1956. Williams finished second behind Zlatko Sumich in the decathlon event at the British

1963 AAA Championships The 1963 AAA Championships was the 1963 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 12 to 13 July 1963 at White City Stadium in London, England. Summary The ...

. He is a (younger) brother of

Yvette Williams Dame Yvette Winifred Corlett (née Williams; 25 April 1929 – 13 April 2019) was a New Zealand track-and-field athlete who was the first woman from her country to win an Olympic gold medal and to hold the world record in the women's long jum ...

. He was inducted into the

New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the hall ...

in 1990. In the

2002 New Year Honours New Years' Honours are announced on or around the date of the New Year in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supplements to the London G ...

, 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 ...

, for services to athletics.

References

* ''Profiles of Fame: The stories of New Zealand’s Greatest Sporting Achievers'' by Ron Palenski (2002, New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, Dunedin) p. 51
Page with Photo at ''Sporting Heroes''

External links

* 1934 births Living people Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand Athletes (track and field) at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1970 British Commonwealth Games New Zealand decathletes New Zealand male long jumpers New Zealand male triple jumpers Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit Medallists at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Australian Athletics Championships winners New Zealand Athletics Championships winners 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics {{NewZealand-athletics-bio-stub