Vulcana
| Miriam Kate Williams | |
|---|---|
| — Bodybuilder — | |
Vulcana in 1900
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| Personal info | |
| Nickname | Vulcana, Kate Roberts, Welsh strongwoman |
| Born | 1875 Abergavenny, Wales |
| Died | 1946 London, England |
| Professional career | |
| Best win | La Santé par les Sports, 100 medals through her career |
| Active | Retired 1932 |
Kate Williams (1875 – 1946), sometimes called Kate Roberts, better known by her stage name Vulcana, was a Welsh strongwoman born of Irish parents in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire.
With strongman William Hedley Roberts, better known as Atlas, she toured music halls in Britain, Europe and Australia; the couple performed as The Atlas and Vulcana Group of Society Athletes.
Kate Williams was born to a popular local preacher, and worked at a tannery in Abergavenny. She met William Roberts at the local women's gymnasium he ran in 1890, when she was fifteen. They fell in love; in spite of Roberts already having a wife and family, they left town together and were never parted for the rest of their lives.
Williams's first professional appearance was as a replacement act at a fete hosted by Roberts in Pontypool, Wales. They began to bill together as Atlas and Vulcana after they began to appear in London in 1892. In 1903, Vulcana and Atlas were engaged by Harry Rickards and toured Australia.
Atlas, a true showman of his times, greatly exaggerated the lifting capacities of himself and Vulcana, and so most of his published boasts have been dismissed. On more than one occasion, he was challenged to his face, and shown to use weights lighter than he claimed. At these times, Vulcana's reputation suffered alongside his, though her authenticated accomplishments were genuinely remarkable for a woman of her era.
Vulcana reached the height of her popularity in France, impressing the l'Halterophile Club de France with her feats of strength, earning her a medal from the "Father of French Bodybuilding", Professor Edmond Desbonnet, and a cover picture of La Santé par les Sports. She was honored with over one hundred medals throughout her career.
Her best-authenticated feats were bent press with her right hand of at least 124½ lb (56.5 kg), with some authorities accepting a press of 145 lb (66 kg), and an overhead lift with a 56 lb (25 kg) weight in each hand.
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