Olympic Alumna on Achieving Greatness
As the Paris Olympics conclude, four-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist Lauryn Williams, B.B.A. ’04, reflects on her journey to the Olympics and life after professional sports.
Fourteen current and former Hurricanes competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics, including Puerto Rican basketball player Davon Reed, B.S.Ed. ’17; American track and field athlete Russell Robinson, B.S.Ed. ’23; Dominican volleyball player Ariana Rodriguez; AND American wheelchair rugby player Lee Fredette, B.A. ’10, extending the University of Miami’sproud tradition of its athletes representing their alma mater as well as their countries on the world’s stage.
The path to the Olympics—and what happens after—is as unique as challenging for competitors.
Lauryn Williams, B.B.A. ’04, a four-time Olympian, three-time medalist, and the first American woman to earn a medal in both the Winter and Summer Games, is no exception, calling the journey to where she is today the most trying and rewarding experience of her life.
She first noticed she was faster than the average child during friendly races with children in her Pittsburgh, Pa. neighborhood. She started racing against children her age and when she beat all of them, their older siblings would go up against her. Then the siblings began bringing their fastest friends. Williams still won every time.
“That was when I realized I had something,” Williams said.
Her mother came to the same conclusion when she called her daughter and the family dog, playing in some faraway corner of the yard, to come in for supper.
“I ran home faster than the family German Shepherd. My mom stopped what she was doing and said, ‘Okay, this little girl is fast,’” Williams recalled, with a smile.
Her father first realized when young Williams ran faster than a hologram of Florence Griffith Joyner, the fastest woman ever recorded, at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh.
Not long after, they enrolled her in a track and field program.
During her senior year of high school, as colleges and universities flooded her with recruitment letters and athletic scholarships, Williams realized running could take her places.
Among the many offers, the University of Miami stood out to Williams, with its impressive campus and beautiful weather. She also instantly connected with the track and field director, Amy Deem.
“Coach Deem saw something in me and made me feel like the University of Miami was the place for me to get the education that I always wanted and explore where track and field could take me,” Williams said. “She became like a second mom to me, and I wanted to repay her for her faith in me by pouring my heart into track and field.”
Once at the University of Miami, she pushed herself to be the best student and athlete. Williams competed in the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships during her first two years. By junior year, she won the competition and earned the title of fastest American in the world and second-fastest person in the world.
“It was a mind-blowing experience,” she said. “I wanted to win because I knew I was faster than my competitors. It didn’t even occur to me that it was an Olympic year.”
Nevertheless, Williams qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics and headed to Athens, Greece. Friends and fans in Michigan and Pennsylvania, where her mother and father lived, respectively, fundraised so her parents and seven siblings could join her in Athens.
“My family and I didn’t come from a lot of money,” Williams said. “But to have them with me for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—or what we thought was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the time—was really great.”
It’s hard for Williams to articulate that feeling when she crossed the finish line, looked up at the scoreboard, and realized that she won the silver medal in the 100 meters as the stadium erupted around her. After that, she did her best to return to a “new normal.”
“There were people who didn’t watch the Olympics at all and had no clue I performed in them, but there were also times when I would go to a restaurant and be told my dinner was on the house as a thanks for representing our country,” Williams said. “I returned to my regular life doing normal things, like going to class and trying to graduate like everybody else, but there was also a bit of celebrity.”
She continued giving her all to her academics, the University, and Hurricane athletics, including successfully petitioning to standardize the amount of financial aid given to athletes to be commensurate across sports and teams.
Her effort earned her the attention of the Iron Arrow Society, the University’s highest attainable honor, recognizing scholarship, leadership, character, humility, and love of alma mater.
“I heard the beating of these drums in the campus center, and I had no idea that they were for me, so I started to move away from them,” she said. “They kind of had to chase me down.”
When they finally caught up to the second-fastest woman in the world, she was baffled but honored to be recognized.
“It affirmed that people saw my contributions to the University beyond athletics, that people saw me busting my butt at school and giving back to my community,” she said.
Williams became a full-time professional athlete after graduating with a finance degree from the Patti and Allan Herbert Business School.
In 2008, she traveled to Beijing, China, for the Summer Olympics, competing in the 4 x 100 meters relay. Her team placed fourth after fumbling a handoff.
“The dreaded fourth place,” Williams recalled. “Fourth place feels a lot harder than eighth place because you feel so close to placing, like you were almost there.”
The public scrutiny surrounding the race weighed heavily on Williams.
That same year, Williams’ father passed away, prompting her to take some time away from professional athletics to grieve and reflect on the legacy she wished to leave behind.
By the 2012 Summer Olympics, she arrived in London, England, reinvigorated for the relay.
“I let go of the idea that I needed the best competitor and really focused on the idea of contributing in a way that was going to build camaraderie and fuel the team’s excitement,” she said.
Her efforts paid off. The United States won the gold medal for the 4 x 100-meter relay.
Williams believed London to be her “last hurrah” at the Olympics. Then, she had a chance encounter with another professional athlete who had recently taken up bobsledding and encouraged Williams to give it a try. Six months later, Williams found herself bobsledding at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
“At the Olympic games in London, I gained a new understanding of the importance of teamwork, which translated really well to bobsledding in Sochi,” she said.
Williams won the bobsled silver medal, becoming the first American woman to earn a medal in both the Winter and Summer Olympics.
The victory marked a critical moment in Williams’ life, as she recognized that her experience in professional sports had transferrable life skills, including problem-solving, perseverance, dedication, and an appreciation for hard work. Her time in the Olympics had shown her that she could accomplish any goal she set her mind to.
In 2016—an Olympic year, Williams noted—was when she decided to apply her skills, training, and education to start her own financial advising company, Worth Winning.
Williams’ philosophy is that the best moments in life come from setting personal goals worth winning and giving your all to achieve those goals.
Now, the Olympian-turned-financial-coach inspires others to realize their own potential for greatness.
She even began working with the United States Olympic Committee to build a program for young athletes. Still, she wanted to do more.
She is currently designing an online program and financial retreats to help more people reach their financial dreams.
“As an athlete and person in finance, I cannot stress how important goal setting is, as well as enlisting the help of financial professionals to get you where you want to go,” she said.
Nine decades of Olympic dreams—and success
In addition to Lauryn Williams, several Miami Hurricanes, past and present, have achieved success at the Olympics. Marshall Wayne, who won gold in 10-meter platform diving and silver in three-meter springboard for the U.S. at the 1936 Berlin Games, became the first in a long line of ’Canes to compete or coach in the Olympics.
Here, in reverse chronological order, are other ’Canes who have reached the Olympic podium:
Track and field athlete Alysha Newman, B.S.Ed. ’16, who won bronze representing Canada in the pole vault at the 2024 Paris Games.
Diver Sam Dorman, B.S.M.E. ’15, M.B.A. ’21, who won silver representing the United States in the three-meter synchronized springboard at the Rio Games in 2016.
Diver Kelci Bryant, who won silver representing the United States in three-meter springboard diving at the 2012 London Games.
Sailor Zach Railey, B.S.Ed. ’06, who won silver representing the United States in the Finn heavyweight dinghy mixed event at the 2008 Beijing Games.
Swimmer Manon van Rooijen, B.S. ’06, who won gold representing the Netherlands in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Games, and silver in the same event at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Sailor Kevin Burnham, who won gold representing the United States in the 470-two-person dinghy event at the 2004 Athens Games, and silver in the same event at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Speed skater Jennifer Rodriguez, B.S.Ed. ’13, who became the first Hispanic-American woman to win a Winter Olympic medal when she won bronze representing the United States in the 1,000-meter and 1,500 meter events at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
Track and field athlete Davian Clarke, B.B.A. ’98, who won bronze representing Jamaica in the 4 x 400-meter relay at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Track and field athlete Gillian Russell, B.B.A. ’96, who won bronze representing Jamaica in the 4 x 100-meter relay at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Swimmer Mark Pinger, B.B.A. ’97, who won bronze representing Germany in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay at the 1996 Atlanta Games and the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Diver Wendy Williams, B.L.A. ’99, who won bronze representing the United States in the 10-meter platform event at the 1988 Seoul Games.
Baseball player Mike Fiore, B.B.A. ’88, who won gold representing the United States in baseball, which made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Seoul Games.
Diver Greg Louganis, who won gold representing the United States in the three-meter springboard and 10-meter platform events at the 1988 Seoul Games and the 1984 Los Angeles Games, and silver in the 10-meter platform in the 1976 Montreal Games.
Swimmer David Wilkie, B.A. ’77, who won gold representing Great Britain in the 200-meter breaststroke and silver in the 100-meter breaststroke in the 1976 Montreal Games, and silver in the 200-meter breaststroke in the 1972 Munich Games.
It’s not just athletes and coaches who have a professional interest in the Games. University of Miami School of Education and Human Development professors Susan Peters Mullane, a fomercompetitive diver, and Tywan Martin shared some of their perspectives in advance of the Paris Games.
