Skeleton Targeted in National Talent Search

World cycling champion Victoria Pendleton and Olympic silver medallist Shelley Rudman have today launched ‘Girls4Gold’ - a mass recruitment drive for young athletic women by UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport (EIS). The aim is to uncover hidden talent with the potential to rise to the podium at London 2012 and beyond.

‘Girls4Gold’ is the latest in a series of talent identification initiatives led by UK Sport and the EIS on behalf of targeted national governing bodies. It will introduce promising female athletes into specific sports and boost Britain’s overall talent pool by embracing those sports where female athletes have a real chance of medal success: cycling, bob skeleton, canoeing, rowing, sailing, and modern pentathlon.

Athletic women aged 17-25, who have competed at county level or above in any sport, are invited to apply at www.uksport.gov.uk/girls4gold. Successful girls will be invited to Olympic Talent Assessment events over the summer to identify those individuals who have a higher probability of podium success. The EIS talent identification scientists will then work closely with elite coaches from the beneficiary sports, to provide the short listed athletes with the opportunity to discover their potential in a world class training environment.

Rudman, Britain’s saviour at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games, bringing home Team GB’s only medal, showed her support for ‘Girls4Gold’:

“I am living proof that medals can be won in a new sport in a very short timeframe. I won my Olympic medal less than four years after first trying the sport of bob skeleton. I was already a track hurdler, so I guess I had a head start and was able to transfer my abilities to the skeleton discipline.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for sporty girls out there to see if they can do the same, and take their talent to the next level.”

Speaking at the ‘Girls4Gold’ launch at the home of British Cycling, the Manchester Velodrome, UK Sport’s Talent Identification Consultant, Chelsea Warr, said:

“In ‘Sporting Giants’, we were looking for athletes with a very specific characteristic - extreme height. This time, the only criteria are that these girls are highly athletic and motivated, so it’s actually open to a much wider population. The applicants should be under no illusions – this is going to be an extremely tough journey but the rewards are every sportswoman’s dream.

“For girls out there who believe they have the mental toughness, the physical ability and the raw talent we’re looking for, I would urge them to come forward to see where ‘Girls4Gold’ and a new Olympic sport can take them.”

Applicants should apply for the Girls4Gold Talent Identification initiative at www.uksport.gov.uk/girls4gold. Applications close on the 30 June 2008. Successful applicants will be invited to attend one of the following Talent Assessment events, based on their proximity to the named locations: Bath – Saturday 26 July 2008, Loughborough – Saturday 23 August 2008 or Manchester - Saturday 30 August 2008.