Penny Way
{{Short description|British windsurfer (born 1962)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{for|the British Egyptologist|Penelope Wilson}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Penny Way
| full_name =
| image =
| caption =
| sport = Windsurfing
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|4|3|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Bristol, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| children = Emma Wilson
| worlds = 1986, 1990, 1991
}}
Helen E. "Penny" Wilson ({{nee}} Way; born 3 April 1962) is a British former windsurfer, who won multiple Windsurfing World Championships events. She competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics coming 6th and the 1996 Summer Olympics coming 7th.
Career
Way's first competitive sailing event was in 1976 in Pagham, West Sussex.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424086/penny-way-1990/| title=Unknown Way the Route to Gold| work=The Daily Telegraph| via=Newspapers.com| page=29| date=20 October 1990| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=25 April 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425103426/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424086/penny-way-1990/| url-status=live}} In total, she won 14 national championships in the United Kingdom and Australia, and was a European champion.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100428128/penny-way-1988/| title=Fastest thing on two legs| work=The Observer| via=Newspapers.com| page=33| date=4 September 1988| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=25 April 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425134546/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100428128/penny-way-1988/| url-status=live}}
In 1982, Way competed in and won the British men's qualification event for the 1984 Summer Olympics. She was unable to qualify for the Olympics as the Games only held men's windsurfing at the time. She won the 1984 European Windsurfing Championships in Guernsey.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100428533/penny-way-europe-1984/| title=Penny the lightweight, pitting her wits against wind and wave| work=The Daily Telegraph| via=Newspapers.com| page=10| date=24 August 1985| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=25 April 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425134547/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100428533/penny-way-europe-1984/| url-status=live}} Way won the 1986 Windsurfing World Championships,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/58038348|title=Tokyo Olympics: Great Britain's Emma Wilson wins bronze in women's windsurfing|work=BBC Sport|date=31 July 2021|accessdate=31 July 2021|archive-date=31 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731064058/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/58038348|url-status=live}}{{cite web| url=https://ukwindsurfing.com/hall-of-fame/penny-wilson/| title=Penny Wilson| publisher=UK Windsurfing| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=20 February 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220192701/https://ukwindsurfing.com/hall-of-fame/penny-wilson/| url-status=live}} becoming the first English woman to do so.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100428300/penny-way-1986-worlds/| title=Penny Way clinches world title| work=The Daily Telegraph| via=Newspapers.com| page=25| date=28 August 1986| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=25 April 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425134545/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100428300/penny-way-1986-worlds/| url-status=live}} She attended the 1988 Summer Olympics as a spectator. In the 1990 season, she only lost one event, and won the World Championships again. She won five of the six races at the World Championships.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100428649/penny-way-1990-worlds/| title=Penny shows way| work=Evening Sentinel| via=Newspapers.com| page=47| date=27 October 1990| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=25 April 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425134546/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100428649/penny-way-1990-worlds/| url-status=live}} In 1991, she won her third World Championships, and also came sixth at an event in Singapore despite suffering from flu whilst travelling to the event.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424728/penny-way-observer-1992/| title=Way ahead in board game| work=The Observer| via=Newspapers.com| page=89| date=19 July 1992| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=25 April 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425112211/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424728/penny-way-observer-1992/| url-status=live}}
Way competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics, the first time that women's windsurfing had been an event at the Games. She was selected for the Olympics without needing to attend the British qualification event,{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424632/penny-way-ind-1992/| title=Penny Way:Boardsailer| work=The Independent| via=Newspapers.com| page=55| date=25 July 1992| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=25 April 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425112201/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424632/penny-way-ind-1992/| url-status=live}} and was considered a medal contender.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424780/1992-medal-favourites/| title=Norbury looks for medals| work=The Daily Telegraph| via=Newspapers.com| page=34| date=5 June 1992| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=25 April 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425112211/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424780/1992-medal-favourites/| url-status=live}} At the Games, she finished 6th. Way won the British qualification event for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The event was finished after 10 of the scheduled 12 races as Way had won the event with two races to spare.{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424604/penny-way-1995/| title=Penny's Way of the World| work=Nottingham Post| via=Newspapers.com| page=49| date=15 September 1995| accessdate=25 April 2022| archive-date=25 April 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425112210/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/100424604/penny-way-1995/| url-status=live}} At the Games, she finished 7th.{{cite web |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/61080 |title=Penny Way |work=Olympedia |access-date=23 June 2020 |archive-date=27 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627060456/https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/61080 |url-status=live }} Way retired from windsurfing in 1996.
Personal life
Way was born in Bristol, England; her birth name was Helen Way, but her brother called her Henny-Penny. She grew up in Cornwall, later lived in Nottingham, and now lives in Christchurch, Dorset, where a road is named after her. She married Rob Andrews, a Royal Yachting Association coach. She later competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics under the surname Wilson.
Way's daughter Emma Wilson is a sailor who won a bronze medal in the RS:X event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, and won another bronze medal in the IQFoil event at the 2024 Olympics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/c3g9ggerdg3o|title=Paris 2024: Great Britain's Emma Wilson wins women's IQFoil bronze|date=3 August 2024|website=BBC Sport}} Her son Dan is also a sailor.{{cite news| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sailing/48252085| title=Emma Wilson: GB windsurfer on following in two-time Olympian mother's footsteps| last=Falkingham| first=Katie| work=BBC Sport| date=22 May 2019| accessdate=18 March 2020| archive-date=18 March 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200318195213/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sailing/48252085| url-status=live}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{World Sailing|penny-way|Penny Way|id=GBRPW55}}
- {{Olympics.com|penny-wilson|Penny Wilson}}
- {{Olympedia|61080|Penny Way-Wilson}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Way, Penny}}
Category:British female sailors (sport)
Category:Olympic sailors for Great Britain
Category:Lechner A-390 class world champions
Category:Mistral One Design class world champions
Category:World champions in sailing for Great Britain
Category:Sailors at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Lechner A-390
Category:Sailors at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Mistral One Design