Rudman Seals Silver for Britain

It may have taken six days but Great Britain finally won their first medal in Turin tonight, after Shelley Rudman won the silver medal in the women's skeleton bobsleigh.

The 24-year-old classroom manager from Pewsey, Wiltshire, held her nerve on the second of two runs at Cesana Pario, moving up from fourth position after her first effort, to finish well over a second behind Maya Pedersen of Switzerland.

Rudman overtook the favourite Mellissa Hollingsworth-Richards of Canada and Germany's Diana Sartor to secure her place on the podium, much to the delight of her supporters. "I'm just can't believe it. I'm so shocked," she said.

The performance, which eclipses Alex Coomber's bronze in this event at Salt Lake City four years ago, was all the more impressive given that Rudman had never previously finished in the top three of a World Cup race.