17/02/2006
Team GB pick up first medal
Britain's Shelley Rudman has won Team GB's first medal of the Games, with a silver in the skeleton bob.
Rudman, 24, made a superb second run in the women's skeleton in Cesana Tariol to snatch the Olympic silver medal.
She had been placed fourth after the first run but overtook Mellissa Hollingsworth-Richards of Canada and German Diana Sartor with her second run to put herself firmly in a podium place.
But in the last run of the event Maya Pedersen scorched Rudman's fastest time to take the gold medal with a run that was over a second quicker.
Rudman was nonetheless ecstatic about her silver medal performance having never before scored in the top three in a World Cup race.
She said: "I was going for top six and I knew if I had an awesome run and everything came together then I could possibly tip for bronze but silver is beyond my wildest dreams.'
"I am always able to peak in my second runs so I knew I would be able to relax and do better and correct the mistakes I had made in my first run.
"Hopefully this will give the whole British team a lift. If they've seen I can do it, maybe they'll realise they can do it as well."
Team GB Chef de Mission Simon Clegg said: "It's a great result for her, especially considering she's only been sliding for a couple of years.
"She went quickest in the final training run so we knew she would be competing in the medal zone."
Today, it was announced that Rudman, who has helped to fund her own campaign, is to receive £23,000 in the form of an Athlete Personal Award from April 1.
Previously, the £377,000 funding for the British Bob Skeleton Association, which is split between 20 athletes over a four year campaign, had left Rudman having to fundraise to buy the sophisticated £3,000 sled.
(SP/GB)
Rudman, 24, made a superb second run in the women's skeleton in Cesana Tariol to snatch the Olympic silver medal.
She had been placed fourth after the first run but overtook Mellissa Hollingsworth-Richards of Canada and German Diana Sartor with her second run to put herself firmly in a podium place.
But in the last run of the event Maya Pedersen scorched Rudman's fastest time to take the gold medal with a run that was over a second quicker.
Rudman was nonetheless ecstatic about her silver medal performance having never before scored in the top three in a World Cup race.
She said: "I was going for top six and I knew if I had an awesome run and everything came together then I could possibly tip for bronze but silver is beyond my wildest dreams.'
"I am always able to peak in my second runs so I knew I would be able to relax and do better and correct the mistakes I had made in my first run.
"Hopefully this will give the whole British team a lift. If they've seen I can do it, maybe they'll realise they can do it as well."
Team GB Chef de Mission Simon Clegg said: "It's a great result for her, especially considering she's only been sliding for a couple of years.
"She went quickest in the final training run so we knew she would be competing in the medal zone."
Today, it was announced that Rudman, who has helped to fund her own campaign, is to receive £23,000 in the form of an Athlete Personal Award from April 1.
Previously, the £377,000 funding for the British Bob Skeleton Association, which is split between 20 athletes over a four year campaign, had left Rudman having to fundraise to buy the sophisticated £3,000 sled.
(SP/GB)
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