Williamson won a silver medal at last year's Commonwealth Games

Shropshire archer Alison Williamson has revealed she was worried a finger injury could harm her chances of competing at next year's Olympic Games.

Williamson was unable to use her normal bow fingers at the European Grand Prix after trapping her hand in a car door.

But she won gold in Turkey by beating Natalia Valeeva in the final.

"I had 10 stitches in my right index finger, and there was real panic when I thought I'd broken it," Williamson told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"That's the finger I use to pull the string back, so we took the stitches out in Turkey and I shot with my bottom two fingers.

"It was a challenge and I did OK - but I won't be doing it again. The stitches are now out, it's been padded, and everything's fine again."

This April event was the start of the international season and the start of the build-up to the Olympic test events for Williamson, 39, who won bronze at the 2004 Athens games and silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Williamson insists she is not a definite for the Great Britain team in London, despite her status and past record.

"There's a long way to go, a lot of tournaments to play, and I've got to keep on my toes," she added.

"And there's a real feel now that the Olympics isn't far away - people generally are getting excited rather than the feeling just spreading around the sporting community."

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