Amy Williams hoping for just another day at the office

By Ryan Bangs, Sportsbeat, in Whistler

 IN 2006, Amy Williams was sat in the commentary box thinking about what might have been but today, the British slider has one hand on Olympic gold.

DATE WITH DESTINY: Amy Williams holds the lead after the first two runs of the skeleton competition in Vancouver (Getty Images)

Williams was a watching reserve at Turin 2006, ready to be called upon should British number one Shelley Rudman be forced to withdraw.

Far from withdrawing however, Rudman went on to spring a surprise silver - Williams was a spare part, a skeleton slider locked away in the closet and was snapped up by a British radio station.

Williams has made no secret of how her relationship with Rudman is strained - they may be on the same team but they are anything but mates.

At the Whistler Sliding Centre however, Williams, a world silver medallist last year, stepped out of Rudman's shadow, shattered the track record and has a commanding lead over Germany's Kerstin Szymkowiak at the halfway point of the competition.

Not since Rhona Martin's ‘stone of destiny' have Great Britain won a Winter Olympic gold medal so while all eyes were on Rudman on Thursday, Williams will be the centre of attention on Friday, when she will complete her final two runs.