Sports

Amy Williams wins Olympic skeleton gold

by Paul Conneally | February 20, 2010 at 01:15 am

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First British Solo Winter Olympic Gold for 30 Years

Amy Williams has won the skeleton Olympic gold medal breaking her own track record.

The slider from Bath overcame all the nerves of being the last slider to go and the stress of being accused of wearing an illegal helmet to win from her nearest competitor, German Kerstin Szymkowiak, by over half a second.

This is Britain's first solo Winter Olympics gold medal since Robin Cousins won the gold for figure skating in 1980 in Lake Placid.

Having won silver in the 2009 Bob Skeleton World Championships we should perhaps not be too surprised that Amy has done so well but what makes her achievement remarkable is that most of her training takes place on a concrete course near Bath as there are no real ice runs in the UK.

She trains 7 days a week using Bath University's facilities.

Originally a 400m runner it's Williams' speed and strength at the start that sets her up for such fast slides and of course the support she gets from her trainers Mickey Gruenberger and Danny Holdcroft.

What ever the future holds for Amy Williams in the short term she can expect a new and frantic media life as the British press and public clamour to celebrate her achievement.

She is set to receive her gold medal in a ceremony due to take place at about 0300 GMT on Sunday.

"Never in a million years did I think I'd come here and win gold," she added. "I don't think it will sink in for weeks and weeks.

"It's amazing to do this for my country. I had nothing to lose here and I just went for it. I enjoyed every minute.

The 27-year-old, from Bath, described her triumph as “crazy” as she was crowned the “Queen of Speed” in Vancouver, Canada, after winning the women’s skeleton.

“It’s all a blur. I can’t even remember half of it. I just came out the bottom and looked at my coach,” said a clearly-emotional Williams.

Amy Williams claimed Great Britain's first individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 30 years with victory in the women's skeleton.

The 27-year-old from Bath maintained her overnight lead with two more blistering runs, including another course record, at Whistler.