Empson Othman Desai Williams (June 12, 1959 – April 10, 2022)[1][2] was a Canadian sprinter, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 4 x 100 metres relay in Los Angeles 1984. He was born in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.
Competing at the first two World Championships, where he reached the semi-final (1983 and 1987), he set his personal best 200 metres time with 20.29 s in 1983 and his 100 metres personal best time of 10.11 s from a 6th-place finish at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Williams trained with the Scarborough Optimists Track Club, which was affiliated with the Ben Johnson scandal. Club coach Charlie Francis, working with Dr. Jamie Astaphan, had supplied performance-enhancing drugs to Johnson, Williams, Tony Sharpe, Angella Taylor, Mark McKoy, and others.
Williams also worked as the speed coach for the Toronto Argonauts, training Olympic athletes Tremaine Harris, Phylicia George. and Justyn Warner, among others.
Williams was fired as a coach by Athletics Canada in 2015. A probe found that Williams had violated the organization's sexual harassment policy while a coach in 2010. In 2018, he was handed a lifetime ban by Athletics Canada.[3][4][5]
Williams died of a heart attack on April 10, 2022 at the age of 62.[6]
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 6th (sf) | 200 m | 20.71 | wind +3.4 |
See also
References
- ^ Empson Othman Desai Williams
- ^ "Desai Williams - Olympic". Olympic.org.
- ^ "Athletics Canada hands lifetime ban to former sprinter Desai Williams". CBC. October 3, 2018.
- ^ "Canada losing ground on abuse, harassment reporting in sports: study". CBC. November 7, 2018.
- ^ Ewing, Lori (November 7, 2018). "Canada falling behind in sports-related abuse and harassment reporting: study". Global News.
- ^ "2-time Canadian Olympic sprinter Desai Williams dead at 62". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2022-04-12. Archived from the original on 2023-03-16.
Further reading
- Ormsby, Mary (2008-08-15). "Olympic stain is all but erased for Desai Williams". Toronto Star.
