When Emily Williams received a call from council recently her first thought was someone had complained about her dog.
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That was a surprise given she considers her dog very well-behaved, but it was nothing compared to the shock of what the real meaning for the call was.
Williams was being informed she had been named Dubbo's Sportsperson of the Year, an honour made official during Thursday's Australia Day ceremony at Victoria Park.
The Dubbo Cycle Club star may not have been expecting the prize, but when you look back at what she achieved in 2022 it's a worthy accolade.
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Williams won nine gold medals across state and national masters events last year but, proving her reputation as one of the more quiet and kind members of the Dubbo club, she said credit for her success went to many people.
"I'm very honoured and grateful," Williams said of her award on Australia Day.
"Obviously sport isn't an individual thing and this wasn't all on my own strength. With the support of my family and friends and the club, it's such a great club.
"There's so much time (put in) and dedication, all the volunteers and coaches and even the athletes. They push you to go further."
![Dubbo Cycle Club star Emily Williams was named Dubbo Sportsperson of the Year on Australia Day. Picture by Belinda Soole Dubbo Cycle Club star Emily Williams was named Dubbo Sportsperson of the Year on Australia Day. Picture by Belinda Soole](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/dCXpDgwTEgA52iNCe5aWtJ/dae9abb7-c2b5-4efb-9bfc-fe13204c4652.jpg/r0_80_3600_2400_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Williams, who juggles her cycling commitments with her work as a first responder, enjoyed victories on both the road and track circuits last year.
During the state and national track titles, Williams rode with two other Dubbo Cycle Club members to win bronze and then gold in the team sprint events.
She singled out that moment shared with teammates as her highlight of 2022, but there were many other special achievements as well.
She won bronze in the criterium at the women's Australian road championships at Ballarat last January - the Dubbo club's first national medal of 2022 - before starring at the NSW road titles in February.
Competing in the women's masters division, Williams won gold in the elite sprint, individual pursuit and scratch race at the state championships.
The national track championships followed in April and Williams was dominant there, winning gold in the time trial, point score, scratch race, individual pursuit, and keiren events as well as the team sprint.
![Emily Williams (left) with fellow Dubbo Cycle Club champions Darrell Wheeler and Erica Lunney at the national track championships at Brisbane last year. Picture supplied. Emily Williams (left) with fellow Dubbo Cycle Club champions Darrell Wheeler and Erica Lunney at the national track championships at Brisbane last year. Picture supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/dCXpDgwTEgA52iNCe5aWtJ/381d1da9-4235-414b-a012-ba2978f3ea91.jpg/r0_70_1824_1182_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"It's such a great sport," Williams said.
"There's the social aspect, you're getting out with other people.
"It's such a challenging and rewarding sport. There's lots of different things that can come into play like the weather and terrain so it's really diverse."
The elite level of coaching at the Dubbo club helps riders like Williams deal with those elements and then go on to dominate them.
Gus Dawson has helped develop a host of state and national champions and Williams said it's people like him who make the real difference.
"The coaches will get up at 5am to take us out training and I've never been a part of a club like that," she said.
As much as Williams thrives on the competition, the social and relaxing aspect of the sport is also something important to her.
As a first responder, there are a numerous high stress situations she had to deal with and the chance to jump on the bike and enjoy the fresh air is something which means almost as much as all the success she has had.
While she was congratulated by a huge amount of family, friends, clubmates and well-wishers on Australia Day, Williams has little time to rest at the moment as she builds towards one of the busiest periods of the year.
The state track championships will be held in April while Williams also has her eye on more success at the national championships in April.
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