-
Britain's Amy Williams celebrates her gold medal victory in the women's skeleton event - Source: Reuters -
Related
Amy Williams roared to Britain's first Olympic gold medal in an
individual winter event since 1980 in the women's skeleton
on Saturday but the host nation Canada threatened to take it
away with
an appeal .
The Canadians followed an earlier failed US appeal against
Williams's helmet after her apparent victory which they said broke
the rules because of aerodynamic features.
A spokesman for the governing body, however, told reporters that
the Canadian appeal had been verbally rejected but there would be
no confirmation until after the men's race later on
Saturday.
Earlier, Williams had been all smiles after edging out two Germans
for Britain's long-awaited solo gold.
The ice cool Queen of Speed smashed the women's course record
on Friday to hold the midway lead and went even faster in heat
three with a new record of 53.68 to widen the gap to the chasing
pack led by Canadian favourite Mellisa Hollingsworth.
With a healthy 0.52-second cushion going into her final slide,
Williams kept it clean through the 16 unforgiving curves to match
the feat of Robin Cousins who won the men's figure skating title in
Lake Placid 30 years ago.
Sporting heroine
Union Jacks waved in the grandstand opposite the finish area while
British fans, some dressed as St George and King Arthur and wearing
chain mail, toasted their new sporting heroine.
"It's amazing, I feel like I'm in a little bubble and not sure if
it's real or not," the curly-haired Williams told Reuters. "I can't
believe it, it's amazing."
Hollingsworth's gold medal dream ended in despair when she
crunched into a wall in the middle of her final run meaning
Germany's Kerstin Szymkowiak took the silver, 0.56 seconds behind,
and compatriot Anja Huber the bronze.
"It is just really hard," Hollingsworth said, tears streaking her
red cheeks. "I feel like I have let my entire country down. It
could have happened anywhere, at a World Cup ... but it happened at
the Olympic Games."
Williams, on a sled she calls Arthur, was unstoppable in all four
runs, leading from start to finish, to become Britain's first gold
medallist in a sliding sport since Anthony Nash and Robin Dixon in
the two-man bobsleigh in 1964.
"I didn't think I'd be standing here, it's all such a blur, I
don't remember that last run at all," she said.
The Canadian and American protest against Williams's helmet was
based on its spoilers which the manufacturers explained to the
governing body, the International Bobsleigh Federation (FITB), were
an integral part of it and therefore legal.
"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," said a
spokesman.
Other Sports Video
-
Joseph Parker fast-tracked to professional boxing ranks (0:48)
-
Boardsailors upset at Olympic axing (1:50)
-
Kiwi NBA hopeful returns home ()
