Tel Aviv, 21st June 2009 - Olympic bronze medal-winning windsurfer Bryony Shaw kept a cool head in the Israeli heat to take bronze at the RS:X European Championships in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Although she had a solid start to the week-long regatta, the 26-year-old was left with some work to do to secure a podium spot after a ‘bad day' on Thursday - the windiest day of the event - saw her dip outside of the top three positions. But the Tunbridge Wells resident showed trademark resilience to pull herself back into contention in the penultimate two fleet races, with a seventh in Saturday's medal race enough to clinch her the bronze, behind Marina Alabau and Blanca Manchon who took gold and silver for Spain.

 

"I'm really pleased, even though I didn't race very well in the medal race today," Shaw admitted.

 

"My muscles tightened and I let the Italian girl go on the second upwind leg, but I managed to come out of it alright!"

 

Skandia Team GBR's Shaw, who was chasing a medal at these Championships in preparation for a World Championship title bid on home waters in Weymouth in September, described the event as both a ‘learner and a counter' towards her goals for this first year of the new Olympic cycle.

 

"For me I'm happy that it's job done here, but also has shown that I have a lot still to work on in preparation for the Worlds. It's been a lot hotter, a lot wavier and just different conditions to what we will be focussing on for Weymouth.

 

"It's also been a lot more of a physical event that at the Olympic Games," Shaw continued. "We've had just enough wind to get racing every day, so had none of the waiting around and delays that we had at the Games, plus the heat was pretty severe. It's certainly highlighted the need for to improve my fitness, but I'm really happy to be making the progress I am so far in this first year after the Games."