View source for Tonique Williams-Darling

{{short description|Bahamian sprinter}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
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| sport = [[Track and field]]
|disability = 
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| club = [[South Carolina Gamecocks]]
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|1|17}}
| birth_place = [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], Bahamas
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{{MedalSport | Women's [[Athletics (sport)|athletics]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{BAH}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]] | [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres|400 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Championships in Athletics|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold |[[2005 World Championships in Athletics|2005 Helsinki]]|400 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics|World Indoor Championships]]}}
{{MedalBronze |[[2004 World Indoor Championships in Athletics|2004 Budapest]]|400 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Commonwealth Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2006 Commonwealth Games|2006 Melbourne]]|400 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|2005 Nassau]] | [[Athletics at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|400 m]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[1999 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|1999 Bridgetown]] | [[Athletics at the 1999 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|400 m]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|2005 Nassau]] | [[2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|4 × 400 m relay]] }}
{{MedalBronze | [[2003 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|2003 St.George's]] | [[Athletics at the 2005 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics|200 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[CARIFTA Games]] <br> Junior (U20)}}
{{MedalGold |[[1995 CARIFTA Games|1995 George Town]] | 4 × 100 m relay}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1992 CARIFTA Games|1992 Nassau]] | 4 × 400 m relay}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1993 CARIFTA Games|1993 Fort-de-France]] | 4 × 100 m relay}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1993 CARIFTA Games|1993 Fort-de-France]] | 4 × 400 m relay}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1994 CARIFTA Games|1994 Bridgetown]] | 400 m}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1994 CARIFTA Games|1994 Bridgetown]] | 4 × 100 m relay}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1994 CARIFTA Games|1994 Bridgetown]] | 4 × 400 m relay}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1995 CARIFTA Games|1995 George Town]] | 400 m}}
{{MedalSilver |[[1995 CARIFTA Games|1995 George Town]] | 4 × 400 m relay}}
}}

'''Tonique Williams-Darling''' ({{nee}} Williams; born January 17, 1976) is a [[Bahamas|Bahamian]] [[Sprint (running)|sprint]] [[Athletics (sport)|athlete]]. She won the gold medal in the [[Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres|400 meters]] at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in [[Athens, Greece]].

==College==
She attended the [[University of South Carolina Columbia|University of South Carolina]], graduating with a bachelor's degree from the [[Moore School of Business]] in 1999.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

==Professional==
Williams-Darling had a breakout year in 2004. She started with a [[bronze medal]] at the [[2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships]] in [[Budapest]], [[Hungary]], running a personal best behind [[Russia]]'s [[Natalya Nazarova]] and [[Olesya Krasnomovets]]. Then in July, at the [[Rome]] meeting of the [[IAAF Golden League]], Tonique broke [[Mexico|Mexican]] [[2003 World Championships in Athletics|world champion]] [[Ana Guevara]]'s 23 race winning streak in the 400 meter race.

At the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in [[Athens]], [[Greece]] Williams-Darling beat Guevara again. In a head-to-head final straight, she proved to be more powerful than the Mexican runner who had been hampered with injuries and trained only on a limited basis prior to the Games. Winning the race, she became the Bahamas' first individual [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] [[gold medal]]ist.

After the Olympics she secured the win in the overall Golden League-jackpot, cashing in US $500,000 after splitting the US $1M pot with [[Christian Olsson]].

She also won the gold medal in the 400 meters at [[2005 World Championships in Athletics]], in a head-to-head race with American 400-meter specialist [[Sanya Richards]]. At the [[2006 Commonwealth Games]], despite being the favourite, she was beaten unexpectedly both in her semi-final and the final by [[Christine Ohuruogu]] of [[England]], claiming silver instead.

Williams-Darling took the 2007 season off to nurse a hamstring injury<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenassauguardian.com/sports/289350007898259.php |title=Tonique takes the year off |access-date=2007-08-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070810095521/http://www.thenassauguardian.com/sports/289350007898259.php |archive-date=2007-08-10 }}</ref> and did not compete during the 2008 season.

In November 2012, she was elected as Public Relations Director of the [[Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations]] (BAAA) for the period 2012-2015.<ref name=weekly>
{{ Citation
 |last       = Williams
 |first      = Tonique
 |date       = December 13, 2012
 |title      = BAAA Introduces New Executives and Council Members
 |url        = http://www.thebahamasweekly.com/publish/sport/BAAA_BAAA_Executives_and_Council_Members_printer.shtml
 |publisher  = Bahamas Weekly
 |access-date = January 2, 2013
}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
</ref>

In 2015 Williams-Darling served as senior director of event media services for the BTC/IAAF World Relays in the Bahamas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Media houses, journalists pour in for IAAF World Relays |url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2015/apr/28/media-houses-journalists-pour-iaaf-world-relays/ |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=www.tribune242.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Personal life==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=August 2022}}
She graduated from St. John's College, Bahamas. She is married to fellow Bahamian Track and Field athlete [[Dennis Darling]] and is the sister-in-law of former NFL wide receiver [[Devard Darling]].

== Commemorations ==
In 2009 Williams-Darling was inducted into the University of South Carolina's Athletic Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2009-09-22 |title=Williams-Darling in USC Hall of Fame |url=https://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/09/22/sports/williams-darling-in-usc-hall-of-fame/ |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=Stabroek News |language=en-us}}</ref>

For her achievements to date, the [[Bahamas]] Government honoured her by naming a major highway the Tonique Williams-Darling Highway.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Darling |first=Crystal |date=2022-12-09 |title=Major roadworks underway in 2023 |url=https://ewnews.com/major-roadworks-underway-in-2023 |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=Eye Witness News |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{sports links}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions 400 m Women}}
{{Footer World Champions 400 m Women}}
{{Footer IAAF World Cup Champions 4x400 m Women}}
{{Footer WBYP 400m Women}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams-Darling, Tonique}}
[[Category:1976 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Athletes from Nassau, Bahamas]]
[[Category:Bahamian women sprinters]]
[[Category:21st-century Bahamian sportswomen]]
[[Category:South Carolina Gamecocks women's track and field athletes]]
[[Category:Olympic athletes for the Bahamas]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the Bahamas]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1999 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Pan American Games athletes for the Bahamas]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for the Bahamas]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games athletes for the Bahamas]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships medalists]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in athletics]]
[[Category:IAAF Golden League winners]]
[[Category:World Athletics Indoor Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Athletics Championships winners]]
[[Category:Olympic women sprinters]]
[[Category:Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics]]