Amy Williams claimed Great Britain’s first solo Winter Olympics gold medal for 30 years with a stunning performance in the women’s skeleton.
Williams, 27, became Britain’s first medalist of the 2010 games in Vancouver, smashing her own track record along the way.
The Bath-based slider’s penultimate run was timed at 53.68, 0.15 seconds faster than the track record she set in Whistler during the earlier rounds.
Williams finished a comfortable 0.56 seconds ahead of German Kerstin Szymkowiak in second place while Anja Huber took bronze. Shelley Rudman, silver medalist at Turin in 2006, finished in sixth place.
Home nation Canada lodged a complaint regarding Williams’ helmet which was rejected, the second complaint following the United States’ protest on Thursday.
Despite this controversy, Williams was relaxed throughout and became the first British female to win a solo gold medal since figure skater Jeannette Altwegg triumphed way back in 1952.
Before the Games, it was Rudman whose sights seemed firmly set on the gold as Williams travelled to Vancouver as Great Britain’s No2 slider.
Williams made a flying start to proceedings on Thursday, though, as she went down in a time of 53.83, the first of the two track records she set on her way to the podium.
With more than half a second advantage over closest challenger Melissa Hollingsworth, of Canada, going into the final run, Williams stayed clear of danger to become Britain’s first solo gold medal winner since Robin Cousins triumphed in the men’s figure skating back in 1980.
Hollingsworth started the competition as overwhelming favourite, running in her home nation, but was eventually knocked down into fifth place, behind American Noelle Pikus-Pace who came in fourth.
