Pewsey's Shelley Rudman continues her excellent season

Wiltshire's Shelley Rudman has won the Bob Skeleton European Championships despite suffering from a broken finger.

Rudman, who is in her first full season back in World Cup action following the birth of her daughter, won the European title at St Moritz on Friday.

The result also means the 27-year-old now tops the World Cup rankings for the 2008/9 season.

Rudman went into the race with a broken finger in her left hand, sustained in training at the track on Wednesday.

Despite that, she came second after the first run then broke the track record with a time of 1:09.97 on her second run to claim gold.

"I was really good in my first day's training here, but I broke my finger on the second day," said Rudman.

I had thought I could maybe make the podium, but after that I didn't know how I was going to be able to push today Shelley Rudman

"I had thought I could maybe make the podium, but after that I didn't know how I was going to be able to push today."

Friday's race was the fifth round of the 2008/9 World Cup and also doubled as the European Championships, with the top European finisher taking the title.

It is Rudman's first European crown and her third medal of the five World Cup races so far this season.

The action now moves to Canada, with the test event for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games at the Whistler Sliding Center.

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