Amy Williams goes behind to propagandize on Olympics feat debate of Bath Sport

Amy Williams, centre in red, on an open-top train debate of Bath. Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

She won her bullion award by racing headfirst down a lane at up to 90mph on a structure of the body incline called Arthur. Today Amy Williams"s feat debate of her home city on an open-topped train was taken at a some-more noble pace.

It was only as well. Bath, some-more important for murky games of rugby than sports on ice and snow, came out in force to get a glance of Britain"s initial Winter Olympics particular bullion medallist given the skater Robin Cousins in 1980.

The ceremonials began at Williams"s school, Hayesfield, in Oldfield Park, a mile south of the city. "She was regularly sporty, she would fool around in any team," pronounced her old sports clergyman Lynn Young as she waited for her majority important former pupil. "She had loyalty and commitment, she was the undiluted tyro for a PE teacher."

Steven Morris at Amy Williams"s homecoming Link to this audio

Like most at the propagandize and in Bath, Young had had churned feelings as she watched Williams compete. "It was: "Be faster, be faster but be protected too." It was a bit frightful but afterwards there was such elation. It was uncanny examination this chairman you essentially know.

"I don"t think the girls here utterly hold it, that she was a tyro here, that she sat in these classrooms and used the comforts we have. It"s a sum impulse to them. For us in PE it"s a mental condition come true."

Young pronounced the winter sports at Hayesfield were hockey and girls" football. "Unfortunately not structure of the body bob," she said.

The fad reached fever representation when Williams was spotted. One of the pupils, Louisa, pronounced the total place had been "buzzing with excitement" given Williams"s triumph. "We were all entertaining her on," she said. "It"s a sporty school. I similar to personification netball, badminton and swimming."

Skeleton bob? "I"d similar to to try that, I think it"s going to inspire most people to start."

Her crony Ruby added: "I thought it was unequivocally amazing. I wouldn"t similar to to do it myself. It looks unequivocally scary."

Finally Williams arrived to acclaim and cheers, the large bullion award resplendent brightly opposite her red, white and blue Great Britain tracksuit. In the living room Louisa, Ruby and a little of their classmates managed to dip the cackle of reporters to grab the initial talk of the day with Williams.

She told the girls how she had proposed eight years ago. "A discerning eight years," she said. How had she felt at the tip of the lane prior to her last run? "I felt shaken but I was there to suffer it," pronounced Williams. "I was there to have fun. I only took a low breath and only went down."

Someone asked what her "best Hayesfield memory" was. PE was the answer. "Playing all the sport, hockey, netball. Being piece of the propagandize train going off to do a foe or competition."

The last subject was either she would cut the badge when the school"s new sports facility, now a construction site, was opened. "Absolutely," she said.

Williams was whisked off to the propagandize gymnasium and an additional overjoyed acquire from teachers and girls. And afterwards on to the bus, that is customarily used to show visitors the sights of Bath.

Sharing the day were Williams"s mom and father, Ian and Jan. "I"m unapproachable in multiform ways," Mr Williams said, "Proud as a father, unapproachable as a proprietor of Bath that has a robe of producing all sorts of engaging people. Proud since I work at the university and the university has had such a purpose in this in on condition that await to British skeleton. It"s utterly a day."

The bells of Bath Abbey rang out as the train done the approach around the Georgian city. Union flags were waved from balconies and travel corners. Tea drinkers at the city"s important watering holes put down their china for a couple of moments to hearten her on.

"We"ve come to see the girl," pronounced one nearby resident May, 65. "We similar to all sports. We"re really unapproachable of her." Would she be going to the subsequent Winter Olympics? "I don"t think so – as well cold. We"ll watch Amy on the telly."

The debate accomplished at the Guildhall, where a accepting in the mayor"s salon was receiving place. She was to be postulated the leisure of the city and was afterwards off to a celebration at the University of Bath, where she trains. Another prolonged night for Bath"s new black of speed and all her supporters seemed on the cards.