Amy Williams - Olympic Skeleton Gold in 2010
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Amy Williams: Womens Skeleton Olympic Gold At Vancouver 2010
On February 19th 2010, Amy Williams won Britain's first solo Winter Olympic gold medal for 30 years by sliding to glory in the skeleton bob event.
Described as the ice cool speed queen, she dominated the event on the tough Whistler track at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. However, the 27-year-old missed out on competing in Turin in 2006 when Shelley Rudman took the only British spot.
Described as the ice cool speed queen, she dominated the event on the tough Whistler track at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. However, the 27-year-old missed out on competing in Turin in 2006 when Shelley Rudman took the only British spot.
"I've done everything I possibly could to get to the Winter Olympic Games".
The Winter Olympics Skeleton Event
It first appeared in the 1928 Games
Skeleton was part of the Winter Olympic Games program when the games were held in St. Moritz in 1928 and again in 1948, but was then removed from the program. The sport discipline was reintroduced at the 2002 Winter Olympics, with both men's and women's events.The skeleton competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Whistler Sliding Centre. The events were held between the 18th and 19th February 2010. This event was expanded to four runs over two days beginning at these Olympic Games.
Amy Williams' Dedication is Rewarded
Deserving of Olympic gold
Amy Williams took up skeleton in 2002 in Lillehammer, Norway and made her debut for Britain the following year. She was attracted to the sport after winning the guest category at the world push start championships.Nicknamed "Curly Wurly" because of her curly hair, she had been a 400m runner before switching to skeleton.
Her gold medal was Britain's first individual gold since the figure skater Robin Cousins won at Lake Placid in 1980, a terrific reward for her determination and commitment.
"I have done everything possible with my physical training, mental training, everything with my coaches, the sled, runners, my health, my diet.
"Every decision I made it was 'right, will this help me go to the Olympics or not?'
"I have been a bit of a bore for the last four years but I knew I was doing it to get here and now it has all paid off and I haven't regretted anything."
Shattering the track record she set in her first runs added to this major achievement and made for a very exciting final. The first British individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics for 30 years is an outstanding achievement for Amy Williams, Team GB, and all those in her sport and behind the scenes who have contributed to the win.
Winter Olympics on Amazon
Lottery Funding Fuels Success...
...followed by dedication
The Olympic champion's sister showed her excitement at the win saying, "I hope it will inspire many young men and women to want to follow her example and aim to become Olympic stars of the future.""Lottery funding, and the backing of UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport, has been a big factor in Amy's win and I hope this fantastic result will encourage more people to have a go at winter sports."
Team GB chef de mission Andy Hunt, said: "It has been a fantastic night, fantastic for Amy, fantastic for Team GB and for the country. A gold is truly, truly exceptional.
Now he hopes Williams' gold medal success can bring about a new era in Winter Olympic sports for Britain.
"This a catalyst for a real uplift in focus and funding and perhaps a performance approach into winter sports."
Skeleton is the most highly lottery-funded discipline at these Games with a total pot from UK Sport of £2,110,000 out of a total budget of £5,822,000 for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic cycle.
So it's the classic chicken and egg. The more you spend, the better infrastructures you can put in place, the better the results. The whole thing is self-perpetuating.
About Her Winning Run
Surprised everyone
"I am absolutely speechless. It's all a blur. I can't even remember half of it," said Williams. "I just came out the bottom and looked at my coach, and I wanted to give my mum a hug,"
Germans Kerstin Szymkowiak and Anja Huber won the silver and bronze, in 3:36.20 and 3:36.36 respectively.
Amy Williams surprised everyone with her gold-medal performance. The 27-year-old was not even a medallist on the World Cup circuit this season, but her display was just excellent as she set two track records on her way to triumph.
Vancouver 2010 - The Official Video Game
Vancouver 2010 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games
Amazon Price: $14.10 (as of 05/28/2012)
The Contraversial Helmet Incident
It has to be without any spoilers or edges that stick out
Williams had an anxious wait after Canada appealed against the legality of her crash helmet. The appeal was rejected by the International Bobsleigh Federation.The United States had a similar complaint against Williams's helmet thrown out by race officials after the first two runs. They argued that her helmet had illegal aerodynamic features which are banned by the FITB.
In rejecting the appeal, the FITB said: "After an inspection of the helmet by the jury, it was determined that according to the helmet manufacturer, spoilers were an integral part of the helmet."
"FITB rules state that a safety helmet should not have any additionally attached aerodynamic elements or adhesive tape (except that used to fix the visor and the goggle strap) and has to be without any spoilers or edges that stick out."
Amy Williams on YouTube
Winter Olympic Sports on Amazon
From Practice Ground to Olympic Track...
...a world apart!
From this...
...To this!
And what about the loyal fans celebrating her success
Our camera straps itself in, then takes a trip down the Bath practice track
...To this!
Amys Winning Run - sets course record on this third run
And what about the loyal fans celebrating her success
Photograph: Getty
The Great British Winter Games gold medalists have a NEW name in 2010.Well done, Amy!
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