Features

GB's successful winter Olympians

Author: John Harris
Date: 16/02/2010
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British athletes returned home from Turin four years ago with only one silver medal among their ranks, however, the Winter Olympics haven't always been a cold and inhospitable climate for GB competitors.

The 21st games are now underway in Vancouver and all the experts are predicting a record-breaking year for Britain.

But who are Britain's successful winter Olympians?

2006 - Shelley Rudman

Rudman won silver at the Turin games just four years after taking up the sport of skeleton.

The part-time supply teacher from Wiltshire was only able to take part in the games after raising £4,000 to buy a suitable sled.

She arrives in Canada very much in the media spotlight and as part of the bobsleigh team.

Will Shelley Rudman help the Bobsleigh team to medal glory in Vancouver? - Latest Winter Olympic Betting

2002 - Women's Curling team

Rhona Martin became something of a household name when she skippered Team GB to success in the Salt Lake City games eight years ago.

Martin led the team of Debbie Knox, Fiona MacDonald and Janice Rankin to Britain's first gold medal for almost 20 years when her final stone edged out Switzerland in a nail-biting finale.

More than five million Britons tuned in to watch the climax of this most arcane discipline.

2002 - Alex Coomber

Coomber's success in Salt Lake City was the inspiration for Rudman to take up skeleton to such great effect four years later.

Coomber blazed a trail with her bronze medal after taking time out from her day job as an officer in the RAF.

1984 - Torvill and Dean

Younger members of society could be forgiven for thinking that Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are famous only for being mentors on television's Dancing on Ice.

However, they were in fact gold medallists in ice dancing with their enduring Bolero routine in Sarajevo.

Their run of six perfect scores has seldom been repeated on the international stage.

1980 - Robin Cousins

Cousins rose to world prominence when he won gold in the figure skating at Lake Placid before retiring from professional skating.

Like Torvill and Dean, he has now turned his hand to television where he is judge on ITV's Dancing on Ice.

1976 - John Curry

A dismal games in Innsbruck were salvaged for Britain by a gold medal for Curry on the ice.

His 105.9 points out a possible 108 remains the highest total in the history of men's figure skating.

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