Steven Williams (snowboarder)
 Williams during the 2018 Winter Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 January 1988 (age 36) San Martín de los Andes, Neuquén Province, Argentina[1] |
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Sport | Snowboard |
| Club | Club Andino San Martin de Los Andes |
Steven Williams (born 15 January 1988) is an Argentine snowboarder. He competed in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Early life
[edit]Steven Williams was born in San Martín de los Andes on 15 January 1988. His father, of Welsh descent was the director of the local ski school.[2] He taught Williams to ski from a very young age, and he spent much of his childhood in the ski resorts of the city.[citation needed] However, his father died when Williams was 13 years old, and decided to start working to help his family.
While he continued skiing after the death of his father, he soon became bored of it, and decided to switch to snowboard.[citation needed]
Before becoming a professional snowboarder, Williams worked as a firefighter, fishing guide and snowboard instructor.[2]
Sports career
[edit]Shortly after starting snowboarding, Williams began to participate in various Argentine competitions. In 2011 he managed to travel to Europe, where he participated in six tournaments.[citation needed] This allowed him to join the Argentine Ski Federation where he could improve his performance, winning three times the Argentine Championship and one European Cup.[citation needed] He was the South American Champion seven times, both in Argentina and Chile, and in individual tournaments in Ushuaia, Corralco and Bariloche. Later, he reached the Top 10 in the World Championship.[citation needed] He competed in the 2017–18 FIS Snowboard World Cup in Feldberg, Germany.[citation needed]
He was able to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics at the very last moment, due to reassignment of quotas from the International Ski Federation.[3] With this, he became the first Argentine to compete in Snowboard Cross at the Winter Olympics.[citation needed] Williams managed to advance to the knockout stage, however he was surpassed by only four centimeters in the final straight by the French snowboarder Merlin Surget.[4]
He showed interest in participating in the 2022 Winter Olympics.[4]
Personal life
[edit]He lives in Andorra, Argentina and Italy.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "WILLIAMS, Steven - Snowboard Cross" (in Spanish). 10 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ a b c "Steven Williams, un 'galés' al servicio de Argentina en los Juegos". ecodiario.es. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "Pyeongchang 2018: a Steven Williams se le escapó la clasificación a los cuartos de final". Clarín (Argentine newspaper). 15 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ a b Fernando Czyz (15 February 2018). "Steven Williams y un lamento olímpico de cuatro centímetros en los Juegos de Pyeongchang". La Nación (Argentina). Retrieved 18 February 2018.
External links
[edit]- Steven Williams at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- Steven Williams at Olympics.com
- Steven Williams at Olympedia (archive)
- Steven Williams at the Comité Olímpico Argentino (in Spanish)
