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GB athletes can succeed at Winter Olympics, says Amy Williams

WHISTLER, BC - FEBRUARY 21:  Amy Williams of Great Britian poses for a photo with her Gold Medal after winning the Women's Skeleton event on 19th February,
Image: Amy Williams won Team GB's only gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Former skeleton champion Amy Williams is confident Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic success can inspire British athletes in their quest for Winter Olympic glory.

Great Britain won a staggering 214 medals across the Rio Olympics and Paralympics, and Williams - who won skeleton gold at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics - thinks GB's medal haul will make the winter athletes hungrier to deliver.

"Our success at London and at Rio really does prove we have some amazing athletes, and we can get medals in winter sports as well," Williams told Tuesday's Sportswomen show on Sky Sports News HQ.

"In skeleton we have Laura Deas and Ashleigh Pittaway, who was world junior champion last year. Lizzy Yarnold is also coming back [after taking a year off] to see if she can get another medal.

"We've still got Elise Christie our speed skater and skier Katie Summerhayes and our bobsledders.

"There were a lot of athletes at Sochi 2014 who were just on the edge of getting medals, who really want to build on our success at Rio. They really want to go out there and bring home more winter medals for Great Britain."

 Tony Jardine and Amy Williams of Great Britain celebrate their class victory on the podium after the Great Orme stage of the
Image: Tony Jardine and Amy Williams will be reunited at the 2016 GB Rally in Wales

Williams began her career as a track and field athlete before turning her attention to skeleton after trying the sport at a push-start track at the University of Bath.

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After retiring four years ago, Williams accepted an invitation from Tony Jardine to be his co-driver at the 2013 Wales Rally GB and will again compete alongside the motorsports pundit at the same event next weekend.

She said: "I'm getting myself back in a rally car with Tony Jardine for the British leg of the Rally World Championships in Wales next week after first getting in the car with him as a co-driver three years ago.

"It's the thrill and adrenaline that I love. I'll be reading old pace notes and getting it all back in my head. It's a tough job being a co-driver but I'm very excited."

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