This is the director of a Leeds dance school, dubbed the Black Tulip, who made history by becoming the first black gymnast to compete at an Olympic Games for Great Britain.
Kathy Williams was the first black gymnast to be selected for and compete at an Olympic Games for Great Britain in 1984 when she took to the competition floor in Los Angeles.
She was due to perform in the Moscow Games four years earlier but had to withdraw due to an injury leading her “gutted”.
Read more: 'Disgusted' Leeds woman forced to live in mouldy home with 'slugs and mushrooms'
Kathy, who started her gymnastics career after attending an afterschool club at her school in Manchester, would go on to become an exceptional gymnast, known for her speed, strength and grace.
She told British Gymnastics: “At my peak, I was training sometimes twice a day, 6/7 days a week a minimum of 4.5 hours a day, plus conditioning. I particularly enjoyed competing on floor, because I loved to dance. On the vault, I was able to fly twisting and somersaulting through the air from a height.
“I won the Daily Mirror Russian Scholarship which entitled me to one month’s training in Moscow where I was dubbed ‘the Black Tulip’, and I also won the Champions Cup. Both of these were huge national competitions - I took everyone by surprise and I kept my cool.”
She continued: “I was totally gutted to miss the Olympic Games in 1980 having been the youngest female GB gymnast to be selected. I was determined to be a member of the GB team in 1984. My mind was set.”
Kathy, who was inspired by Olga Korbut and Nadia Comaneci, enjoyed the sport instantly and thanks to support from her teachers and coaches, she had success at both interschool and regional competitions.
As well as her appearance at the Olympic Games, there were several other stand-out moments Kathy enjoyed during her career this includes three World Championship appearances, the Senior European Championships, the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and finally the World Student Games in 1987.
Her gymnastics career inspired her to become a co-founder and Director of RJC Dance in Chapeltown, which is the leading, award winning, inclusive black dance organisation in the North of England, and will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2023.
She added: “Competing at the Olympic Games is a life changing and most joyous and memorable experience; one of the proudest times for myself, my coaches, family, friends and fans.
“I remember the competition, and our competitors. We were shoulder-to-shoulder with the giants of gymnastics at the time; the Russians, Romanians and the Chinese. I met team USA track and field athletes Carl Lewis and Ed Moses and Team GB track and field athlete, Daley Thompson and many more. I remember the warm and generous welcome from the American people.”
Even now, Kathy loves the individual creative expression, the artistry, courage and strength of gymnastics. Kathy still keeps in touch with those that she shared so many memories with: “I have life-long friends from the sport of gymnastics and it is amazing that three quarters of the women’s Olympic team meet up each year, for socials, or at gymnastics competitions. Some of us have even been on holiday together.”
Read next:
- Under 17s are now banned from Hirst's Yard in Leeds at night in major crime crackdown
- Tributes to West Yorkshire Police officer shot and killed rushing to help colleague in Leeds
- 'Epic' new Leeds bar filled with beer pong, shuffleboard and axe throwing games to open
Devastated Leeds mum has just weeks to live after weight loss turned out to be cancer
- Man seriously hurt after he's hit by car following an argument in Leeds
