New mum Rudman ready to blitz her rivals (From This Is Wiltshire)

New mum Rudman ready to blitz her rivals

8:00am Thursday 24th April 2008

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Skeleton Bob: Shelley Rudman is set to make up for lost time over the summer as she starts her assault on the 2008 Skeleton Bob scene.

The Pewsey slider finished last season strongly after winning her final race of the season in the America's Cup at Lake Placid earlier this month and is in the middle of a two-week break.

The 27-year-old had been out for a year through injury and the birth of daughter Ella Marie last October.

The season starts again in October but Rudman is already thinking about reeling in the competition.

She said: "This year I really have to start ramping it up. I have lost time on other girls and I have to get the difference back.

"I would like to train through because I have lost some time.

"Normally I would have a month's break because I would have done the whole season."

But Rudman is not feeling any added pressure.

"There is only the pressure I put on myself," said the 2006 Olympic silver medallist.

"I came back after having such a long time out and won the final race of the season so I'm not too far off.

"I was pretty happy with the way I finished but this year will be important so I can be 100 per cent for the Olympic year.

"I can't expect big things but it is always positive from winning the final race of this season."

And, with Rudman's thoughts starting to turn to the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver she will be concentrating on the weaker points of her game.

"I was happy with my push starts and my sliding was really good," she said.

"I'll be working on my push starts, which were probably the weakest part anyway and I have other areas I can improve on."

As well as planning her training schedule, Rudman and partner Kristian Bromley are also managing the logistics of getting six-month-old daughter Ella Marie out to see them compete.

"We are in the process of organising everything because we need people to come out and help, as well as having our own parental responsibilities," said Rudman.

"It will be really expensive to get her out there but we really want to have the contact time."

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