Venus Williams has a golden history when it comes to competing in the Olympics.
Williams took the 2000 Sydney Olympics by storm, winning a gold medal in both women's singles and women's doubles. She returned in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and walked away with another gold medal in women's doubles. Now Williams will pair with younger sister Serena for a third times in Olympic doubles competition at the 2012 London Olympics. With the duo fresh off winning a doubles title at Wimbledon, there's no reason to not expect a repeat of history.
This profile offers a look at Williams' career and notable achievements:
Athlete: Venus Williams
Sport: Women's tennis
Age: 32
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 159 lbs.
Hometown: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
School: Home-schooled
Olympic Appearances: 2000 Syndey Olympics (2 golds), 2008 Beijing Olympics (1 gold)
Olympic Medals: 3 (2 gold, women's doubles) (1 gold, women's singles).
Website: www.venuswilliams.com
Social Media:
On Twitter - @Venuseswilliams
On Facebook - www.facebook.com/VenusWilliams
Media Appearances: Williams has done voiceover acting -- including an appearance as herself on an episode of "The Simpsons."
Personal Life: Williams is the daughter of Richard Williams and Oracene Price. She has four sisters: Lyndrea, Isha, Yetunde and Serena. Williams has been coached exclusively by her father since 1995.
Hobbies: Art, Asian antiques, dancing, writing poetry, reading, sewing and playing the guitar.
Interesting Trivia: Williams led the fight to award female champions at Wimbledon prize money equal to what the male champions received. She published an essay in The Times in 2006, demanding change and earned public support for her battle. Wimbledon and French Open officials both implemented equal prize money in 2007.
Other Facts: Williams owns her own interior design firm and created her own line of clothing. Along with Serena, she bought an ownership stake in the Miami Dolphins in 2009.
Career Highlights: Although she has lived in the shadow of her younger sister, Williams has had a wildly successful pro tennis career by any measurement. Williams first tasted grand slam success by winning the women's doubles title at the 1999 French Open. She followed with her first singles grand slam title at the 2000 Wimbledon championships.
Overall, Williams has won nine career singles titles, 13 doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles in grand slam competition. Williams rose to the No. 1 world ranking for the first time in 2002 after winning her second Wimbledon singles title. She became the first African American woman to achieve this feat during the Open Era and has been ranked No. 1 on three separate occasions in her career. She has won three gold medals in her two previous Olympic appearances. Williams won the gold medal in singles and doubles in 2000 and the gold medal in doubles in 2008.
Additional Information:
John Coon has covered multiple Olympic sports at all levels as a sports reporter based in Salt Lake City. He considers the Summer Olympics one of his favorite sporting events.
