Shelley Rudman unsure how many medals GB can win in China due to Covid situation

Shelley Rudman has high hopes for British success at the Beijing Winter Olympics but admits the coronavirus situation surrounding the Games makes medal predictions tricky.

The sporting showpiece in China is taking place under strict protocols due to the pandemic.

Great Britain have a medal target of between three and seven, having secured a record five at each of the last two editions.

Rudman, who claimed skeleton silver for GB at the Turin 2006 Games, told the PA news agency ahead of Friday’s Beijing opening ceremony: “I think it’s a really hard Games to put medals around people’s necks because it is such a different situation.

“I’m just happy they have all got out there and I think all the athletes are going ‘oh my goodness, we’ve got here, we’ve done it.’

“It (the conditions at the Games) is definitely a challenge. Even just moving around the village, I think some of the athletes will be really worried about coming into contact with a Covid case, because then it means they have to quarantine, and if it’s close to their event, that’s really going to disrupt them.

“I think they just have to be really careful that they try to avert disaster as much as they can.

I think it's a really hard Games to put medals around people's necks because it is such a different situation- Shelley Rudman

“So long they can avoid over-thinking about Covid, which is going to be really hard…then we definitely could be in with a chance of medals.”

Rudman feels GB matching the haul of the last two Games is “definitely attainable if everything goes right”, and that “we may have some interesting medals after that.”

Rudman’s silver was among a run of GB claiming a skeleton medal at each Games from 2002 to 2014, and then three at Pyeongchang 2018,