NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Lily Williams didn’t know at the time that she was taking the first step on a journey that led to becoming Vanderbilt’s first female Olympian—and first Olympic gold medalist. She was just applying for a part-time job in a bike shop while sorting out her plans after graduation. She thought, in fact, she was walking away from competitive sports.
She got the job assembling bikes, organizing the floor displays and assorted tasks. She found a passion. And using many of the lessons learned as a Vanderbilt student-athlete, she followed her newfound calling to some of the biggest stages in global sports.
Williams won a bronze medal with Team USA in track cycling’s team pursuit in the Tokyo Olympics (the quadrennial event was delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). She returned in 2024 and traded bronze for gold in team pursuit in the Paris Olympics.
Paris was only one of her memorable career achievements riding in France. Racing on 250-meter indoor ovals with 45-degree banking, a team pursuit race is over in a little more than four minutes. Also an accomplished road racer, Williams was in the saddle for quite a bit longer than four minutes when she participated in the inaugural Tour de France Femmes in 2022—the first official women’s version of the historic race in more than 30 years.
Not bad for someone who came to Vanderbilt to run, her cycling exploits limited to riding to class or internships or relaxing in Percy Warner Park.
The daughter of former Olympic speed skater Sarah (Docter) Williams, Lily was a high school track and field state champion in Florida in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters (she won all three in one afternoon). She recorded some of the fastest mile times in the nation for her age group and was a three-time state silver medalist in cross country.
Williams still ranks seventh in Vanderbilt history in the 1,500 meters—her time in 2013 faster than any Commodore had run prior to that season. But with her passion for running tested by a world of new possibilities and interests as a university student, she thought Vanderbilt marked the quiet coda of her competitive career. It was merely the interlude.
She didn’t discover the sport that would make her an Olympian and professional athlete until after she left Nashville. But her time at Vanderbilt, from the cross country course to the track to the classroom, helped her race to the top once she discovered her path.
“It’s been really nice as I move into my adult life to be able to achieve some of those things that during my time at Vanderbilt I didn’t know if I would be able to achieve,” Williams said on the eve of her first Olympics. “The rigor of Vanderbilt really prepared me for the world in a lot of different ways.”
