Archer Alison Williamson aiming for return to teaching
Shropshire Olympic archer Alison Williamson says she plans to resume her teaching career after a six-year absence from the classroom.
Miss Williamson, 40, who was made an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours and became only the third British athlete to compete in six Olympics when she took aim at London 2012, trained to be a teacher between the 2004 Athens and 2008 Bejing Games.
The Long Mynd Archery club member taught at a primary school in London.
She said visiting schools across Shropshire in the run-up to this summer's Games had rekindled her passion for the profession.
She said: "I started doing school visits after the torch relay. Whenever I'm in a school setting I miss it. I really enjoy teaching – it's a two-way thing.
"I went round a number of schools including my old primary school at Rushbury and high school in Church Stretton.
"I hope to volunteer at a school near my home in Stafford to brush up on changes to the curriculum."
Miss Williamson said she was disappointed with how she and the team had performed at London 2012. The team was beaten by Russia and Miss Williamson failed to make the final 32 after a 7-3 loss to Mongolian Bishindee Urantungalag.
The defeats ended her sixth Olympic Games. She first competed in Barcelona in 1992.
But the Church Stretton archer bounced back after her Olympic disappointment and clinched the National Series Final a few weeks later in Oxford after beating GB team mate Naomi Folkard in the final.
Despite this success she has been cut from the GB Archery programme.
She added: "I've not ruled out the chance of competing in Rio 2016 and will keep my options open. I'm still going to be working with my coach once a week."
