Early in her Dunedin childhood Yvette Williams proved that she had natural athletic ability, particularly excelling in the shotput. She rose to prominence in national sporting events by the age of eighteen, and in 1950 represented New Zealand at the British Empire Games in Auckland, winning the gold medal in the long jump and silver in the javelin. This remarkable achievement led her to embark on rigorous training which was rewarded at the Helsinki Olympic Games in 1952, where she set a new record in the long jump and became the first New Zealand woman to win Olympic gold. She demonstrated her breadth of sporting skill by also competing in the discus and shotput at these games, and reaching the finals for both. At the 1954 Vancouver Empire and Commonwealth Games Yvette Williams again won gold - this time for all three of her chosen events. She was also a basketball representative for a number of years, and in both 1950 and 1952 was voted Sportsman [sic ] of the Year.

Yvette Williams married Charles Corlett and retired from competition at the age of twenty-five, settling into marriage and children. However, sport remained a way of life for the whole family, and she taught physical education, as well as coaching and supporting young people in the local community, notably among the Special Olympians - people with disabilities. Yvette Corlett became an Honoured Member of the Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, and in the year 2000 was selected as the Sportsperson of the Decade 1950-1960.