skeleton winter olympics women women skeleton event winter olympics took place february competition won british athlete set new course records track runs williams won world cup world championship event british athlete win solo winter olympic gold medal years german won silver bronze medals respectively williams teammate won silver medal winter olympics canadian expected medal contention disappointed williams victory controversy united_states canada filed complaints judges related williams helmet judges ruled ridges helmet violate rules rejected complaints logistics track british_columbia site women skeleton olympic games vancouver canada track constructed 15th competition level track world certified competition sliding sports march process called hundreds athletes ran track time competitors games able try track begin develop strategies canadian athletes hoped having open years games having time train advantage games quickly gained reputation fastest tracks world rules description competition rules olympic skeleton competitions set entrusted seven officials making decisions competition rules technical delegates jury president jury members optional jury assistants decisions implemented enforced race director overall responsibility running competition given rules competitors guaranteed minimum official training runs days prior competition competition consisted heats starting order athletes determined rankings prior start games athletes began runs starting block ran briefly holding laid remainder course athletes ranked speed times start crossed finish line track preview speculation potential medal winners games focused athletes great_britain united_states canada athletes german speaking countries traditionally dominant sliding sports following introduction skeleton strongly competitive new sport canada defending olympic bronze medalist won considered strong contender favorite win british athlete won british medal winter olympics silver skeleton bronze medal prior games kept media previews olympic event finished outside medal places world cup placed fifth placed sixth american able compete games runaway broken leg number athletes potential win medals virtue previous strong finishes international competition switzerland maya defending olympic champion defending world champion germany won test event held venue skeleton world cup prior games took place southeast january won germany standing records consider skeleton times eligible olympic records maintain records start complete run track competes records set test event games february qualifying athletes january announced teams qualified games subsequently updated january athletes qualified women event competition run start order released afternoon february runs took place february february final runs took place run broke previous course record nearly second finishing time seconds reaching speed mph led second run german second place runs nearly second williams competing home soil called favorite win number media accounts place trailing runs seconds trailed nearly second surprising observers expected medal contention japanese athlete disqualified heat required control united_states canada germany unnamed teams lodged protest officials following williams successful day competition protest alleged helmet illegal ridges unfair aerodynamic advantage accordance competition rules jury officials inspected helmet rejected protest grounds ridges helmet separate piece helmet banned rules integral helmet helmet legal second protest filed jointly canada 19th rejected day run williams set new course record seconds won final run secure gold medal williams british win individual winter olympic gold medal thirty years prior win williams won world cup world championship event german athletes won silver bronze medals olympic medals germany sport williams teammate fought way lead briefly fast final run overtaken athletes finished sixth canada dropped place runs fifth final run american sixth place run finished fourth overall standings results track record finish run
Skeleton at the 2010 Winter Olympics – Women's