Shelley Rudman

Shelley Rudman
Rudman in 2015
Personal information
National teamGreat Britain
Born (1981-03-23) 23 March 1981[1]
Swindon, England
Home townPewsey, Wiltshire
EducationBSc Sports Science - St Mary’s, Twickenham. Coach Education & Sports Performance - University of Bath
Occupation(s)International Sports Consultancy. Owner of Shelley Rudman (SR) Gym & Personal Training.
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Weight56 kg (123 lb)
Children2
Sport
Country Great Britain
SportSkeleton
University teamUniversity of Bath St Marys College, Twickenham
Achievements and titles
Olympic finalsTorino 2006 (Olympic silver), Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014
World finalsSt Moritz 2013 (Gold)

Overall World Cup 2012 (Gold)

World Student Games 2005 (Gold)
Medal record
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 a skeleton athlete who in 2013 became the first British woman to win the world skeleton championship. She also won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics, and is a former World Cup and two-time European champion.

Early life and education

Rudman was born in Swindon,[3] and later lived in Pewsey, Wiltshire, where she attended Pewsey Vale School.[4] She later attended New College, Swindon.[3]

She took up skeleton in October 2002, after being introduced to the sport at the University of Bath push track.[5][6] At the time, she was working full-time at the ACS International Schools, Cobham, Surrey and was in her third year of a Bachelor of Science degree course at St Mary's College, Twickenham.

Career

Early career

The following season in 2003, she qualified for the World Junior Championships and finished in tenth position. In 2004, she won the Europa Cup in Igls, Austria. In 2005, she won gold in the World University Games, held in Innsbruck, Austria.[7]

2006 Winter Olympics

In order to take part in the 2006 Olympics, Rudman needed £4,000 to buy a new sled. Her home town held a sponsored canoe event (canoeing from Pewsey to Bath, where she was training) to help raise the money.[8] Rudman also spent some time working as a supply teacher at Devizes School, a secondary school in Devizes, Wiltshire.[9]

By the time the 2006 Winter Olympics began in Turin, Rudman said she was aiming for a top-ten position. In the first heat, she was fourth; after the second heat, she finished with a silver medal.[10][4] On her return to Pewsey, the village gave her an open-top bus parade to recognize her achievement.[11]

Skeleton World Cup performances: 2007–2009

Rudman finished tenth in the women's skeleton at St. Moritz in the 2007 World Championships. She later announced that she was to become a mother in October and would consequently miss much of the following season.[12]

She sat out the 2007–08 Skeleton World Cup season to give birth to her daughter, and returned to the Inter-continental circuit in North America in January, where she finished second in Park City and won the penultimate race in Lake Placid. Rudman won the 2008–09 Skeleton World Cup event at Igls, Austria on 12 December 2008.[13] She then earned the second medal of her 2008/09 World Cup campaign with a silver at Königssee in Germany, in January 2009.[14]

She won the 2009 European Championships at St Moritz, breaking the track record with a time of 1:09.97 on her second run.[15]

2009–2010: World Cup & Olympics

Rudman repeated the feat of finishing the season in second place overall in the World Cup, behind champion Mellissa Hollingsworth. During the season, she took gold medal wins in Cesana[16] and St. Moritz,[17] a second place in Lake Placid and a third place at Konigssee.[18] The last race of the season in Igls also counted as the 2010 European Championships, and Rudman finished with the bronze medal.[19]

In January 2010, Rudman was announced as part of the Team GB squad to compete at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. She was the flagbearer for Great Britain at the opening ceremony.[20]

An hour's delay to the race start affected the settings Rudman had chosen for the first run, which resulted in her finishing low in the overall standings after day one. The following day, after changing her settings, she set the fastest time of the day, breaking her push start personal best, but the time deficit from the previous day was too much to catch up and she finished sixth overall; missing out on claiming a second Olympic medal. The gold was won by fellow British competitor Amy Williams.[21]

Later career

Rudman became European champion in January 2011 after finishing 0.22 seconds ahead of second-placed Anja Huber in Winterberg. The event also doubled up as a World Cup event, her fifth career win in the competition.[22] After finishing runner-up in the Skeleton World Cup in the previous three years, Rudman secured the World Cup title at the end of the 2011–12 season. Earlier in the competition, she finished third in Altenberg[23] and won gold in Königssee.[24] Shen then finished second in St Moritz (behind her teammate Lizzy Yarnold),[25] and third in Whistler.[26] Another third-place finish in the last race of the season in Calgary earned her a fifth podium finish of the season and moved her to the top of the final rankings ahead of German duo Marion Thees (2nd) and Anja Huber (3rd).[27]

In December 2012, Rudman won the 2012-13 World Cup event in Winterberg.[28] The following February, she became the first British woman to win the world skeleton championship, after finishing 0.57 seconds ahead of runner-up Noelle Pikus-Pace in St Moritz.[29]

At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Rudman finished in 16th position. In September 2014, she announced that she would miss the forthcoming skeleton season as she was expecting her second child.[30] A year later, she announced that she would also miss the 2015-16 World Cup season as she was extending her maternity leave.[31]

Personal life

Rudman is married to fellow British skeleton competitor Kristan Bromley, with whom she has two daughters, born in October 2007,[32] and January 2015.[33][34]

In February 2016, Rudman was nominated to be an International Olympic Committee Athlete Role Model for the Winter Youth Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.[35] In 2017, she set up a fitness gym business in her home county of Wiltshire.[36] Rudman is a trustee and ambassador of Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity.[37]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Shelley Rudman". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Shelley Rudman". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b Eaton, Dave (18 February 2006). "Slide rule!". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b Morris, Steven (17 February 2006). "Pewsey's first Olympic Medal". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "Shelley Rudman Biography". IOC. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  6. ^ "Shelley Rudman". BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  7. ^ "RESULTSBOOK: SKELETON 22nd WINTER UNIVERSIADE" (PDF). Innsbruck Winter Universiade 2005 main results. International University Sports Federation (FISU). Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2005.
  8. ^ "Not Just Anybody: Shelley Rudman". The Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Rudman adds wow factor in Devizes". Gazette and Herald. 12 May 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Shelley wins Silver Medal in Bobsleigh". The Daily Telegraph. 17 February 2006.
  11. ^ "Welcome Back Shelley!". Swindon Advertiser. 6 March 2006.
  12. ^ "Pewsey's Olympic star announces baby plans". Gazette & Herald. 25 April 2007. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  13. ^ Rudman claims World Cup gold in Igls Morethanthegames – The Online destination for Olympic sports news, 12 December 2008
  14. ^ "Rudman clinches World Cup silver". BBC Sport. 9 January 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Rudman battles injury to win gold". BBC Sport. 16 January 2009. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Shelley Rudman wins skeleton World Cup gold in Italy". BBC Sport. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Shelley Rudman bags Skeleton World Cup win in St Mo". BBC Sport. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Shelley Rudman seals third place in World Cup skeleton". BBC Sport. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Shelley Rudman wins European skeleton bronze in Igls". BBC Sport. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  20. ^ Scott-Elliot, Robin (13 February 2010). "Britain’s best team yet? The contenders most likely to strike gold in the snow". The Independent. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  21. ^ Lewis, Aimee (28 November 2013). "Shelley Rudman on her Sochi hopes and teaching her daughter". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 27 December 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  22. ^ Houlihan, Owen (22 January 2011). "SKELETON BOB: Shelley claims European title". Gazette and Herald. Archived from the original on 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  23. ^ FIBT Skeleton World Cup Altenberg 7 January 2012 women's results. Archived 3 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  24. ^ "Shelley Rudman wins World Cup skeleton gold". BBC Sport. 14 January 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  25. ^ "Yarnold takes World Cup Gold". The Independent. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  26. ^ "Hollingsworth wins skeleton gold in Whistler". sportsnet.ca. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  27. ^ Spencer, Donna (9 February 2012). "Yarnold first, Canada's Gough third in Calgary World Cup skeleton race". Global News. Archived from the original on 12 December 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  28. ^ "Shelley Rudman wins skeleton World Cup gold". BBC Sport. 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  29. ^ "Shelley Rudman becomes world women's skeleton champion". BBC Sport. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  30. ^ "Shelley Rudman to miss season after announcing pregnancy". BBC Sport. 27 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  31. ^ Houlihan, Owen (15 September 2015). "SKELETON: Shelley to extend stay away from the track". Gazette and Herald. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  32. ^ "Rudman aims to get back training". BBC Sport. 29 October 2007.
  33. ^ "Shelley Rudman to miss season after announcing pregnancy". BBC. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  34. ^ "Yay, skeleton team babies!!!!". 19 January 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015 – via Twitter.
  35. ^ "Meet the Athlete Role Model: Shelley Rudman". IOC. 3 February 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  36. ^ Mills, Richard (15 May 2017). "From skeleton bob to personal gym for Shelley Rudman". Gazette & Herald. Newsquest Media Group. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  37. ^ "Shelley Rudman". Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity. Archived from the original on 5 December 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
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