# Toni-Ann Williams

Toni-Ann Natasha Williams (born November 20, 1995) is a Jamaican American artistic gymnast that competed in college gymnastics for the Cal Bears women's gymnastics team. She has also been a member of the Jamaica national gymnastics team since 2010. She was the first gymnast to ever represent Jamaica in international competition. She is the inaugural Jamaican gymnast to compete in the Olympics, in 2016.

## Personal life

Williams was born in Maryland on November 20, 1995, to parents, Tony and Marlene Williams. As her parents are both from Jamaica, Williams is eligible to compete for that country in FIG international competitions. Through her mother, Williams is a niece of Jamaican politician Anthony Hylton.
She grew up in Randallstown, Maryland, attended Greenspring Montessori School for eleven years, and graduated from Roland Park Country School in 2014. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and was a member of the Golden Bears gymnastics team.
She has three sisters, Maya, Kristine and Zitafa. Her sister, Maya, is also a gymnast on the Jamaica National team.

## Club career

Toni-Ann trained at United Gymnastix in Reisterstown, Maryland, throughout her whole club career. She moved up to Level 10 in 2009 and joined the Jamaica national gymnastics team in 2010.
In 2011, she was State and Regional Champion and competed in her first international competition, the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
She was hoping to qualify to the 2012 Olympics but was unable because she didn't meet requirements at the 2011 Worlds. In 2012, she was again crowned State Champion.
Williams represented Jamaica at her second World Championships in 2013, in Antwerp, Belgium.
In 2014, Toni-Ann was State Champion for the fourth time in her Level 10 career.

## College career

Williams' first season in the NCAA was during the 2015 season for the California Bears.

### 2015 season: Freshman

Williams quickly became one of Cal's top gymnasts to ever compete in the program, even in her freshman season. On February 13, 2015, during a regular season meet against Oregon State, she broke the school record on vault, scoring a 9.975.
During the regular season, she peaked at #1 nationally on floor on February 23, 2015 and has reached as high as #5 nationally on vault (on March 2, 2015). She qualified to the 2015 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships as an individual all-arounder.

### 2016 season: Sophomore

Williams became Cal’s first individual event champion at the Pac-12 Championships (3/19) since 2004, winning floor with a 9.925. She was twice named Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week and was 1st team All-Pac-12 for floor and vault.
She missed the NCAA Championships to compete at the Rio Olympic Test Event, where she became the first Jamaican gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.

### 2017 season: Junior

Williams tore her Achilles in week 5 and missed the rest of the season.

### 2018 season: Senior

Williams returned from injury to lead the Bears in 2018. She took third on vault and beam at the Pac-12 Championships. The Bears finished ninth in the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship with Williams coming seventh in the all-around. She was named an NCAA All-Around Second Team All-American.

### 2019 season: Fifth Year Senior

Williams ruptured her Achilles on February 17, ending her season and collegiate career. She was named a finalist for the AAI Award.

## 2016 Olympics bid

In February 2015, it was announced that she and British gymnast and UCLA gymnast, Danusia Francis, would participate at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and try to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She officially qualified through the 2016 Gymnastics Olympic Test Event.