Before switching to cycling, Williams was a middle-distance runner for the Commodores’ cross-country and track teams from 2012-16. She previously won a bronze medal as part of Team USA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, becoming the first female Vanderbilt graduate to win an Olympic medal. She became the school’s second overall gold medalist, after basketball player Jeff Turner in 1984.

After qualifying in second place, Williams and her team set the fastest time in the first round and then beat the foursome from New Zealand in the final to take the gold medal, finishing with a time of 4:04.306 to the New Zealand team’s 4:04.927.

In the women’s team pursuit, two teams of four riders start at opposite ends of the track. The race ends when the teams have completed 16 laps or when one team passes the other. Once the 16 laps are completed, the team with the fastest time (as measured by the finishing time of the third rider from the team to finish) is declared the winner.