Rudman holding British flag at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics. |
||
Medal record | ||
---|---|---|
Women's Skeleton | ||
Representing Great Britain | ||
Olympic Games | ||
2006 Turin | Women | |
World Championships | ||
2013 St. Moritz | Women | |
Skeleton World Cup | ||
2011–2012 | Women | |
2008–09 | Women | |
2009–10 | Women | |
2010–11 | Women | |
2012-13 | Women | |
European Bob and Skeleton Championships | ||
2009 St. Moritz | Women | |
2011 St. Moritz | Women | |
2006 Igls | Women | |
2014 Germany | Women | |
2010 Winterberg | Women | |
2012 Germany | Women | |
Winter Universiade | ||
2005 Innsbruck | Women's Skeleton | |
British Skeleton ranking | ||
2004 -2012 | Women's Skeleton |
Shelley Rudman (born 23 March 1981) is one of Britain's most successful skeleton bobsleigh athletes, the 2013 world champion in that event, an Olympic silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in skeleton (the only medal for Great Britain at the Games) and a former World Cup and European champion.
Originally from Pewsey, Wiltshire and currently residing back in Wiltshire after spending 9 years living in Sheffield, UK.
She took up the sport of skeleton after a university friend and GB skeleton athlete Greg Kirk introduced her to the sport in October 2002 at the University of Bath push track. Rudman went for the GB skeleton development team selection at the University of Bath which would allow her to join a funded programme, but wasn't successful in making the team. At the time Rudman was working full-time at the ACS International Schools, Cobham, Surrey and also in her third year of a BSc Degree course at St Mary's College, Twickenham. She decided to apply for an Ice school in Norway run by the British military to pursue the sport and realise her dream of being selected for Great Britain by funding herself around tracks in Europe along with 2 other British servicemen.
The following season in 2003 (after having only three weeks on ice training since starting the sport), she qualified for the World Junior Championships where she finished in 10th position and highest-ranked British female. In 2004, she won the Europa Cup in Igls, Austria. In 2005, she won gold in the World University Games.
Since 2006, Rudman has been self-coaching and learning the tracks herself throughout the World Cup seasons.
In order for her to take part in the 2006 Olympics, Rudman needed £4000 to pay for a new professional sled. Her home town held a special sponsored canoe event (canoeing from Pewsey to Bath where she was training) to help raise the money, and they succeeded. Rudman also spent some time as a supply teacher at Devizes School, a secondary school located in Devizes, Wiltshire.