Mike Rowbottom
mikepoloneckShortly before making her sixth Olympic appearance at the London 2012 Games, Britain's archer Alison Williamson was asked if she planned to extend her career to the Rio 2016 Games.

"Never say never!" she responded, with a characteristic wide grin.

But this week, at the age of 42, the Athens 2004 individual bronze medallist has decided it is time to say "never" as she has announced her retirement from international competition.

Perhaps it might have been different had Williamson - who won individual and team silver at the 2010 Delhi Games - been able to have another crack at earning Commonwealth Games medals in Glasgow this summer. But archery - which has only appeared at the 1982 and 2010 Commonwealths in Brisbane and New Delhi respectively - was not included in the Glasgow 2014 programme.

Alison Williamson competing at the London 2012 Games - her sixth consecutive Olympics ©Getty ImagesAlison Williamson competing at the London 2012 Games - her sixth consecutive Olympics ©Getty Images

"I just couldn't continue to dedicate the hours needed to be competing at the top level any more," said Williamson, a primary school teacher from Stafford whose first Olympic success came aged 10 when she won silver at the Wenlock Olympian Games, the event established in 1850 by the Dr William Penny Brookes, which is credited as an inspiration for the modern Olympics.

"It has been an amazing journey. The sport has been a part of my life since I was six years old."

Williamson is a member of Long Mynd Archers in Church Stretton - a club founded by her parents, coaches Tom and Sue, who attended the London 2012 archery venue at Lord's cricket ground as volunteer Games Makers.

She was on the short-list to carry the British flag in the Opening Ceremony, and although that task eventually went to cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, she received an MBE for her services to archery in the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Hers has been an historic achievement. She was only the third Briton to have competed at six Olympics following javelin thrower Tessa Sanderson, who won gold at her third Games in 1984, and fencer Bill Hoskyns, who competed from 1956 to 1976, winning two silver medals.

Tessa Sanderson, javelin winner at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, was the first British woman to compete in six Olympics ©Allsport/Getty ImagesTessa Sanderson, javelin winner at Los Angeles 1984, was the first British woman to compete in six Olympics ©Allsport/Getty Images

By dint of the London 2012 programme she was able to beat fellow Britons Nick Skelton and Mary King, show jumper and eventer respectively, to that Olympic mark.

Reflecting on her imminent landmark appearance, she commented: "Some people watch television and dream about getting to the Olympics. I have just been very fortunate to get the chance to do six."

A year before London, Williamson told me, with a rising giggle that seemed at odds with the serious, concentrating persona on display during her competitions, how watching television played a significant part in her preparations for events where noisy spectators sometimes provide a potential distraction to the concentration of the archers.

Such had been the case, for example, at the 2010 Delhi Games, where Williamson, Amy Oliver and Naomi Folkard were narrowly beaten by India in the team event after a final where noisy and on occasions untimely support for the home nation appeared to affect the English efforts, most critically when the 23-year-old Oliver only managed to score six out of 10 in the final round.

Alison Williamson (right) with Amy Oliver (left) and Naomi Folkard after taking team silver at the 2010 Delhi Games ©Getty ImagesAlison Williamson (right) with Amy Oliver (left) and Naomi Folkard after taking team silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi ©Getty Images

Williamson explained how she had spent many hours setting up her own domestic obstacles in order to become more single-minded.

"I will do things like trying to read while the TV is on in the background," she said. "That gets difficult when there is something good on - you really need to concentrate! Even when I am practising in my back garden I will have a radio on."

Looking back at the 2010 Commonwealths, Williamson said: "In Delhi I think many of the crowd at the archery had probably never seen the sport before and some people were making a noise when archers were shooting, which is a bit like shouting when tennis players are serving.

"The spectators were very enthusiastic, and the message was soon relayed to them to please respect the archers. By the time I was in the individual competition it was a lot better.

"I think we all learned a lot from Delhi - particularly the younger members of the team. But you can't guarantee silence at an event. Maybe children will start to make a noise, or a baby will start to cry. You can never be sure."

Alison Williamson with her individual silver medal from the 2010 Delhi Games alongside Inidia's gold medallist Deepika Kumar (centre) and bronze medallist Dola Banerjee ©AFP/Getty ImagesAlison Williamson with her individual silver medal from the 2010 CommonwealthGames alongside Inidia's gold medallist Deepika Kumar (centre) and bronze medallist Dola Banerjee ©AFP/Getty Images

With such issues in mind, the British training at Lilleshall before London 2012 regularly saw team members firing arrows to a background of recorded crowd noise.

For the Olympic trials the noise levels rose still further as more than 1,000 local schoolchildren were invited in to bang drums, blow whistles and raise their voices.

"The letters of invitation said 'Please make as much noise as possible'," recalled Williamson with another of her unhinged laughs.

"It might even have asked for the noise when the archers were shooting. I had an eight-year-old a few feet away from me screaming at the top of her lungs – you have to ignore it."

Good training also, then, for the career to which she will now be dedicating herself ...

Mike Rowbottom, one of Britain's most talented sportswriters, covered the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics as chief feature writer for insidethegames, having covered the previous five summer Games, and four winter Games, for The Independent. He has worked for the Daily Mail, The Times, The Observer, The Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian. His latest book Foul Play – the Dark Arts of Cheating in Sport (Bloomsbury £12.99) is available at the insidethegames.biz shop. To follow him on Twitter click here.