Port Talbot world best returns home
ONE of Port Talbot’s greatest sportsmen was back on home turf today – or rather on the sands of Aberavon Beach.
Freddie Williams was born in the town in the 1920s and spent hundreds of hours on the beach honing his skills as a high-speed motorcyclist.
After leaving town to start work in the Portsmouth dockyards, he broke into the popular world of professional speedway.
Championship
His world championship wins came in the 1950s when he was a star rider with the high-profile Wembley Lions and with Great Britain.
This year, on August 25 at the Millennium Stadium, the 86-year-old will have the honour of handing the GB Speedway Grand Prix trophy to the event’s winner.
A crowd of around 50,000 will look on and Freddie is relishing the prospect.
Trophy
Whilst showing off the modern-day Speedway World Championship trophy at Aberavon, he said: “August 25 will be a fantastic occasion; the GB Speedway GP has become the world’s top speedway event – fans come from all over Europe and Wales puts on a brilliant show.
“The trophy’s a bit different to the one I won all those years ago but one thing they have in common is that they both mean the world to the winner!”
Freddie now lives in Berkshire with wife Pat and the pair were thrilled to visit his sister Kate at her home in Sandfields yesterday.
Olympics
Pat was a sports star in her own right – she represented Britain as a figure skater at Oslo’s 1952 Winter Olympics.
The couple have children who have also gone on to be top quality sports performers.
More GB Speedway GP 2012
Photo Freddie Williams with the World Speedway Championship trophy on Aberavon Beach. Pic Port Talbot Magnet
Radio interview Swansea Sound
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