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09 February 2006 21:26:41 GMT

GB gold before Winter Olympics begin

The Great Britain Olympic team have been awarded a full gold medal for their victory in the demonstration curling competition in the 1924 Winter Olympics.

Four Scotsman won the tournament 80 years ago but were not awarded an Olympic gold because the sport had only demonstration status at the time.

Curling did not reappear at the winter games until 1998 and the success of the men was repeated by a team of Scottish women at the 2002 championships.

The British Winter Olympic team is delighted with the International Olympic Committee's decision as it boosts the chances of any kind of medal haul.

Olympic boss Simon Clegg had admitted that a single medal would be a good result from the 2006 Turin games due to start this week, they have achieved that goal early.

The newly crowned Olympic champions are father and son team Willie and Laurence Jackson, Robin Welsh and Tom Murray.

The decision came after the Glasgow Herald started a campaign to secure a well deserved gold-medal for the curling trailblazers.

Roy Sinclair, president of the World Curling Federation, said: "We have always been aware that our sport had a great history and we knew there had been curling in 1924."

The 20th Winter Olympics got underway in Turin with an opening ceremony said to be filled with "rhythm, passion and speed" to showcase Italian culture.

A spectacular show, which began at 1900 GMT, will herald the start of 16 days of competition, four years after the last Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

A capacity 35,000 and a television audience of up to two billion worldwide are expected to watch the ceremony.

Curling champion Rhona Martin will carry the Great Britain flag.

Italian organisers remain tight-lipped about who will light the Olympic flame, with cross-country skier Stefania Belmondo and skiing great Alberto Toma in the running.

The 36-year-old Belmondo is Italy's most decorated winter Olympian, winning 10 medals in her career, including two golds.

Tomba claimed gold medals in giant slalom and slalom at the Calgary Olympics in 1988 and took gold again in the giant slalom in Val d'Isere four years later.

The show began with Yuri Chechi, one of Italy's greatest gymnasts, swinging a mighty hammer onto a bronze anvil.

This was followed by a host of dancers, flaming skaters and music from giant alpenhorns before International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge and Italy's president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi were introduced.

The ceremony is also set to include a performance from Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti

Executive producer Marco Balich, who has worked with U2 and Pink Floyd, said the show would demonstrate the "passionate way in which the Italians live life - the way they drive, the way they dress".

Oscar-winning actress Sophia Loren, 71, the epitome of Italian beauty and style, will be one of eight women who will carry the Olympic flag during the ceremony.

Olympians will enter in the traditional parade of nations, a segment lasting more than 30 minutes.

Host nation Italy will be led into the stadium by skater Carolina Kostner, the strong Austrian team will be headed by skier Renate Goestchl, and speed skater Chris Witty will carry the American flag.


What happened to Britain's curling heroines?

Martin, 39, who led the women's curling team to glory in 2002, was chosen for the duties by GB team-mates.

"It is a huge honour, I can't believe I'll be leading the team," said Martin.

"It is something that you only dream about when you are young. We were so excited to be in the [Olympic] village anyway and I almost forgot it was going to be announced.

"It was a fantastic surprise and it is really nice to have been voted for by the other sports." BBC

BBC coverage of Winter Olympics
The BBC is breaking new ground with its coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin on television, radio and online.

BBC Two, interactive TV and the sport website are giving unprecedented access to watch what you want, when you want.

Coverage of the event from 10-26 February is being complemented by the use of innovative technology.

You can get regular updates on Radio Five Live, while the sport website carries news, results and live and on-demand video for UK broadband users.
BBC

Now,had I known before today that there was an olympic event called 'Bumps',I'd have entered.Pretty good chance of a gold in that I reckon!!!!!

I saw the opening ceremony last night, fell asleep during the team parades and was woken up by Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma of all things!

I'll watch a fair bit of it, there's something about winter sports I like...think it's the danger and adrenalin that comes with it. Things like the luge and skeleton bob would be the most amazing rush a man could have.

Apart from the obvious other one!

The one where he has to run for the train you mean

Kinda...think of a steam trains pistons

Was thinking more of sweaty palms and erratic heartbeats

I wish I could watch more Winter Olympics as I really do - but I've enjoyed Alpine Skiing competitions especially!

Today Snowboarder Markku Koski brought Finland it's first medal of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics on Sunday when he took third place in the Men's Halfpipe.

Finland's Antti Autti placed fifth and Risto Mattila tenth. Janne Korpi failed to make it into the final.

Think I'm getting hooked on Ice Hockey Can't see the puck all that well on my tv tho!

Im going to try and watch some tonight

Guardian

Flying second run elevates Wiltshire competitor on to the podium

Thursday February 16, 2006

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.

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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.

Hooray for GB, a medal at last!!!! C'mon you curlers too!!!

GB's Rudman takes skeleton silver

British skeleton star Rudman set the fastest time in practice
Slider Shelley Rudman raced to a silver medal - Britain's first at the 2006 Winter Olympics - in the women's Olympic skeleton on Thursday.

Rudman was lying in fourth place after the first run, but a sensational second slide put her on the podium in Cesana.

She recorded an overall time of two minutes 1.06 seconds - 1.23 seconds behind Swiss champion Maya Pedersen.

"I just can't believe it. It feels really surreal," the 24-year-old from Wiltshire told BBC Sport.

"I'm really gobsmacked. I really wanted to get a bronze, so I'm certainly not complaining about a silver medal."




Rudman said her superb second run came after advice from her coach Simon Timson and her boyfriend and fellow skeleton slider Kristan Bromley.

"I was just perfect on the second run," she added.

"I normally go better on the second run, so I wasn't worried by being in fourth place after the first.


Everyone has worked their socks off and it's such a fantastic result
Rudman's coach Simon Timson

"I hope this result has put skeleton on the map and it will make a lot more people aware of skeleton and able to fund it."

Rudman will be presented with her silver medal in Turin on Friday, at the same time as Bromley goes in the men's event.

"My heart is going to be split in two up there on the medals podium and also keeping an eye on the results, but I will try to watch the men's race," she said.

Coach Timson told BBC Sport that Rudman had put in a nerveless performance.

"She was as cool as a cucumber," he said.

"We knew that fourth was a good spot for her and if she got corner 17 right, then she'd do well.

"Everyone has worked their socks off and it's just such a fantastic result."

British Olympic chief Simon Clegg said Rudman's silver was a huge boost to the team.

"It's a great result for her, especially considering she's only been sliding for a couple of years," he said. "She went quickest in the final training run so we knew she would be competing in the medal zone.

"Before the Games we said one medal would be a success. We've got that in the first week and we're now expecting more great results in the second week."


Rudman's achievement was the all the more remarkable considering there is no proper skeleton track in Britain - just a push-start track at Bath University.

Despite her rapid rise in the sport, Rudman has also had to fund herself in her pursuit of a medal.

She has enjoyed the enthusiastic support of the people of her home town of Pewsey, who raised £4,000 for her with a canoe marathon.

Rudman's medal followed fellow Wiltshire woman Alex Coomber's bronze in the same competition in Salt Lake City four years ago.

But, while Coomber had been widely expected to strike gold, Rudman was considered an outside chance at best, having never previously reached the podium in her World Cup career.




Rudman, who is in her first full season in the sport, had never even laid on a skeleton sled until being inspired by Coomber's performance.

She went into the competition insisting she would consider a top 10 position a success and that anything beyond eighth would be beyond her wildest dreams. BBC

Yes a great English medal, and a great moment for English sport