Catriona Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams in 2010 | |
| Known for | Founding the Catwalk Spinal Injury Trust |
| Awards | Community Hero award, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit |
Catriona Ruth Williams MNZM is a New Zealand equestrian and tetraplegic. Williams set up the Catwalk Spinal Injury Trust to raise funds for research into spinal injury. In 2014 Williams was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to spinal cord injury research.
Williams grew up on a farm in Martinborough. [1] She competed in eventing and showjumping in New Zealand and overseas. [2] She was twice winner of the Pony Jumper of the Year, and twice winner of the Showjumping Rider with the Most Points at the Horse of the Year Show. She was placed 15th in the Open Europeans at Burghley and 15th at Saumur and Badminton the same year. She represented New Zealand in the World Cup Showjumping Final in Sweden in 1999, placing 38th. [2]
Williams was suffered a spinal injury in a fall while riding in the horse trials at Kihikihi on 10 November 2002. [3] [4] [1] The fall left her tetraplegic, with limited use of her hands and arms. [1] After her injury, Williams set up the Catwalk Spinal Injury Trust to raise funds for research into spinal injury. The trust gave a large grant to found the Spinal Cord Research Facility at the University of Auckland, led by Louise Nicholson, Simon Carroll and Colin Green. [5] The trust also funds project grants. [6] [7]
Williams undertakes sporting events to raise funds for spinal research and awareness of spinal injuries. She completed the New York marathon, cycled to Mount Everest base camp, and in 2024 cycled from Scotland to London. [8] [4] By 2019 she had raised $10 million for the Catwalk Trust. [4]
In 2010 Williams was awarded a Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award. [9] [7]
In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours Williams was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to spinal cord injury research. [10]
In 2016 Williams was winner of the Community Hero section of the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards. [11] She has twice been nominated for New Zealander of the Year Awards, in 2011 and again in 2014. [3]
Williams was added to the NRM Horse of the Year Show Hall of Fame in 2014, and the Equestrian Sports New Zealand Hall of Fame in 2023. [12] [2]
Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or total loss of function in the arms, legs, trunk, and pelvis. The paralysis may be flaccid or spastic. A loss of sensory function can present as an impairment or complete inability to sense light touch, pressure, heat, pinprick/pain, and proprioception. In these types of spinal cord injury, it is common to have a loss of both sensation and motor control.
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