Great Britain's Amy Williams leads at skeleton halfway point

From Sportsbeat staff, in Vancouver

 AMY Williams has one hand on Great Britain's first Olympic gold of Vancouver 2010 after maintaining an impressive lead in her second skeleton run at Whistler Sliding Centre.

FLYING START: Amy Williams records a track record on her opening run to put her in the lead
at the half way stage of the skeleton competition (Getty Images)

Having clocked a new track record in her first outing, the 27-year-old world silver medallist could not quick repeat the trick and clocked 54.13 seconds in her second run, but still holds a 0.30 advantage.

In second place is Germany's Kerstin Szymkowiak, who clocked the fastest second run of 54.11, while Canadian hot-favourite Melissa Hollingsworth crept up to third after a somewhat nervy opening run.

Williams blitzed out of the start house in her opening run to lead from Amy Gough by 0.32, but the best Canadian could muster was the 11th best run at her second bite of the cherry, allowing Szymkowiak to move into second.

Hollingsworth, who has consistently been the fastest in training, bettered her opening run score by just 0.01 to move into third and is currently 0.39 behind Williams.

There was better news for Great Britain's Olympic silver medallist Shelley Rudman, who moved up into equal seventh with Gough, after clocking the sixth-fastest second run.

Williams will now have two more runs at Whistler Sliding Centre in her bid to become Great Britain's first Winter Olympic gold medallist for eight years.

While media attention has focused on Rudman, selected to carry the British flag at the opening ceremony, Williams has gone about her business quietly.

But as she proved in taking world silver in Lake Placid last year, she excels on fast tracks and there are none quicker than the one in Whistler. 

 AS IT HAPPENS: Day seven of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver