Pittsburgh Superstars: Lauryn Williams

PITTSBURGH — Beaver County native Lauryn Williams was the first American woman to win a medal in both the winter and summer games.

The pride of Rochester, Williams was a sprinter in high school and then at the University of Miami.

She won a silver medal in the 100 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympic games.

Once her track career ended, she moved to the bobsled track.

“The thing that worked to my advantage when I started to participate in bobsled is that I didn’t know what to be afraid of. I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” she said.

Williams learned quickly – in just six months - and won a silver medal in 2014 in Sochi along with Elena Meyers Taylor. Taylor is a bobsled legend and just won silver in the monobob in Beijing, the first year for the event.

Williams is retired from both track and bobsledding and lives in Texas. She said her heart will always be in western Pennsylvania.

“The love in my heart for western Pennsylvania is this gargantuan, and I take great pride in being able to represent, you know, even up to this day,” she said.

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