updated birth_place sport birth_date article_title name
22 april 2013 tokoroa , waikato athletics 23 september 1985 monique williams -lrb- athlete -rrb-
 monique williams
monique williams -lrb- athlete -rrb-

monique williams -lrb- born 23 september 1985 -rrb- is a new zealand sprinter from tokoroa .
williams became the first new zealand female sprinter to win a gold medal at a major world championship event , when she won the 200 m at the world university games -lrb- universiade -rrb- in belgrade during 2009 .
in doing so she became only the second kiwi sprinter to win gold at a world event , after don jowett won the 220 yards at the 1954 british empire and commonwealth games .
williams was selected as the flag bearer for new zealand at the 2009 universiade .
during her development years , in 2006 she was awarded a new zealand prime minister 's scholarship from helen clark , recognising williams as an emerging and talented new zealander .
williams won three consecutive new zealand athletics titles in the 100 , 200 and 400 m in 2007 , 2008 and 2009 .
williams holds the new zealand national record for 200 m -lrb- 22.90 s -rrb- , which she set at the iaaf 2009 world championships in athletics in berlin , eclipsing her previous record of 22.98 in february that year and 22.96 in the opening heats in berlin .
the new zealand national record had stood for almost 31 years , before it was first broken by williams .
in 2009 williams was named auckland 's north shore sports personality of the year and was short-listed for the halberg awards .
williams graduated from waikato university with a bachelor of education in primary school teaching and is a qualified primary school teacher .
