Brits secure bronze medal and two top-six spots in opening round of Skeleton World Cup

13 November 2009

Britain’s sliders made a strong start to their 2009/10 Skeleton World Cup campaign with a bronze medal and fourth and sixth place finishes in Park City, the USA yesterday (Thursday).

Kristan Bromley, a double Olympian and Britain’s 2008 World and European Champion, took bronze in the men’s competition.

He moved up from fifth place after the first of two runs to secure a podium position.

Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games silver medallist Shelley Rudman, the reigning European Champion, finished just outside the medals in fourth in the women’s race. Amy Williams, silver medallist at last season’s World Championships, finished sixth overall, while Donna Creighton came 19th.

Snow squalls and strong winds shortened the women’s competition to just one just one of the scheduled two runs.

The first gold medals of the season went to Latvia’s Martins Dukurs in the men’s competition and to Germany’s 2008 World Champion Anja Huber in the women’s.

The Skeleton World Cup action now moves on to the Lake Placid track in the USA, where the men and women compete on Friday 20th November

This season is the first that Britain has qualified three men and three women to compete on the World Cup circuit.

Results from the first seven World Cups of the year score towards the qualification of places for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The British Olympic Association will announce the final selection of Team GB’s skeleton athletes for the Olympic Winter Games in January.

World Cup 1 results, Park City, USA
Men
Gold: Martins Dukurs (LAT) – 1:39.75
Silver: Sandro Stielicke (GER) – 1:40.27
Bronze: Kristan Bromley (GBR) – 1:40.37
23rd: Andy Wood (GBR) – 51.00 (1 run)
24th: Adam Pengilly (GBR) – 51.11 (1 run)

Women (1 run for all athletes)
Gold: Anja Huber (GER) – 51.22
Silver: Amy Gough (CAN) – 51.36
Bronze: Melissa Hollingsworth (CAN) – 51.37
4th: Shelley Rudman (GBR) – 51.48
6th: Amy Williams (GBR) – 51.53
19th: Donna Creighton (GBR) – 52.49

British Skeleton has its base at the University of Bath.

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