Shelley Rudman

Other than competing in your event, what other memories of the Olympic Games do you have?

The mud! The grounds around the athlete villages were very muddy. But it was an amazing experience to be around athletes from different nations and disciplines.

Did you go to either the Opening or Closing Ceremony?

Yes, I went to both. I wanted to experience as much as possible so if anything didn't go to plan I hadn't missed out on anything that could only happen once in a lifetime. I felt a massive sense of pride walking into the Opening Ceremony and seeing the torch being lit. It was also a very special moment carrying the flag for Team GB at the Closing Ceremony.

Did you have any idea of the kind of reception you'd receive when you got back home?

Not at all. Pewsey is a very small village, so I knew people would be aware I was competing. But the welcome home procession was an experience I won't ever forget.

Which athlete was it most thrilling to meet in Turin?

Frankie Fredericks... even though he's not a winter enthusiast! He was there promoting the athletes commission. I walked past and thought "that's Frankie Fredericks the sprinter", and I managed to have a photo taken with him!

Is your aim now for gold at Vancouver in 2010?

I would like to compete in Vancouver 2010, but being a realist I don't think anyone can say they are going until the year of qualification as so much can happen in between. I'll go through a similar strategy as I planned previously, but for the moment that's top secret information.

When does your season start and what championships are you preparing for?

We start in October when the team travels to Norway for three weeks. Then we go to north America for the start of the World Cup series. Then it's the World Championships in February 2007.

What areas do you need to focus on improving?

It may sound strange coming from an athlete that has won an Olympic silver medal, but I need to improve on everything. Every area - from summer training to winter competitions - need to be improved as I still feel I have so much scope for improvement. It will take a while, but it's attainable.

Can you give us an insight into your physical training?

Skeleton athletes train similar to sprinters, although the emphasis is focused more on body awareness and core rather than pure strength. On average we train six times a week, and can do two sessions a day.

And what about mental preparations? Are there any exercises you do here?

We do a lot of visualisation of the tracks, and write notes after each practice run. It's a fast sport, over in a matter of seconds so we also video practice runs and watch them later on so we can see ourselves training.