Amy Williams facts for kids
Williams receiving her gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Amy Joy Williams | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 September 1982 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England |
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| Residence | Bath, Somerset, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 63 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Craig Ham (2015–present) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | http://www.skeletonamy.co.uk/ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Great Britain |
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| Sport |  Skeleton |
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| Event(s) | Women | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | GB | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by |  Michael Grünberger Markus Kottmann |
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Medal record
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Amy Joy Williams (born 29 September 1982) is a British athlete who used to compete in skeleton racing. She won a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Amy started out as a runner. In 2002, she tried skeleton on a special track at the University of Bath. She then began training in the sport. She did not qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics. However, four years later, she was part of the Great Britain team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. She won a gold medal, becoming the first British person to win an individual gold at a Winter Olympics in 30 years. She was also the only British athlete to win a medal at those Games.
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Early Life and Education
Amy Williams was born in Cambridge, England. She grew up in Bath. She went to Hayesfield School Technology College, Beechen Cliff School, and the University of Bath. Her father, Ian Williams, was a chemistry professor. Her mother, Janet Williams, was a midwife. Amy has a twin sister and an older brother.
Skeleton Career
Amy Williams first competed as a 400-meter runner. But she did not make the national athletics team. In 2002, she started skeleton racing. She tried it on a push-start track at the University of Bath. Amy said her first time on a skeleton track was exciting and scary. But she loved it and decided to train in the sport.
First Big Competitions
At her first major event, the 2009 World Championships in Lake Placid, she won a silver medal.
Amy did not qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Great Britain could only send one skeleton athlete that year. That spot went to Shelley Rudman, who won a silver medal. Four years later, Amy qualified for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her country was allowed to send two skeleton athletes that time.
Olympic Gold Medal
At the 2010 Games, Amy won the gold medal in women's skeleton. She broke the track record twice during her runs. She won by more than half a second.
After the first day, Amy had a good lead. Two other countries then complained about her helmet. They said the helmet's spoilers were illegal. They thought it gave her an unfair speed advantage. But the helmet maker said the spoilers were part of the helmet's design. The International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation had already approved the helmet. Both complaints were rejected.
Amy became the first British person to win an individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 30 years. Before her, Robin Cousins won in figure skating at the 1980 Winter Olympics. She was also the first British woman to win an individual Winter Olympics gold medal since Jeannette Altwegg in 1952.
TV Appearances
Amy was a contestant on the ITV show 71 Degrees North in 2011. She finished in third place. She also appeared on the CBBC series 12 Again. She was also on Top Gear series 17, episode 1. In that episode, she raced against a rally car in Lillehammer.
After Retirement
On 1 May 2012, Amy Williams announced she was retiring from skeleton. She said her injuries were why she stopped the sport.
In January 2013, BBC Two announced Amy would be a co-presenter on the show Ski Sunday.
Amy also became a co-driver for Tony Jardine, a motorsports expert and rally driver. She got her license and trained with him. They successfully competed in the 2013 Wales Rally GB.
She also became an ambassador for TeamGB, along with Robin Cousins. She works as a commentator for BBC Sport. She specializes in skeleton and bobsleigh.
On 25 April 2014, it was announced that Amy would present The Gadget Show on Channel 5. She left the show in 2017 to care for her child.
In August 2015, Amy married Craig Ham.
In 2018, she was part of the BBC's team covering the 2018 Winter Olympics. In October 2019, Amy became the first Ambassador for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. This charity helps former athletes mentor young people.
In June 2022, Amy co-presented the ITV4 coverage of the 2022 Isle of Man TT. She worked with Matt Roberts, Steve Plater, and Cameron Donald.
In 2023, Amy was named an Ambassador for the University of Bath's youth sports program. This program helps local school children.
Awards and Recognition
Amy Williams was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award in 2010. She was also made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Bath on 5 June 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Amy Williams para niños
