By Mark Staniforth, PA Sport, Salt Lake City

Alex Coomber celebrated her Winter Games bronze medal by sinking a glass of champagne in the Dead Goat Saloon and said she still could not believe that the party was for her.

Coomber said she has got no concept of the magnitude of her third place in the women's skeleton, which was watched at Park City by her two sisters, two brothers-in-law and two young nephews.

Britain's Chef de Mission Simon Clegg did. Clegg took a telephone call from Ogden moments after Coomber's bronze to learn that Britain's curling team had gone through to the final. With that, he broke down in tears.

Coomber's was Britain's first Winter Olympic medal in an individual event since Nicky Gooch grabbed speed skating bronze in Lillehammer eight years ago.

The fame will sit slightly uncomfortably upon the 5ft 4ins Coomber's shoulders. One of her first intentions upon realising her medal dream was to ring home and check her dog, Fogarty, had enjoyed it.

She had no worries there - he had been placed in front of a television screen with a Union Jack tied around his neck.

"It might hit me but I still haven't come to terms with being here, let alone racing or winning a medal," said Coomber, who woke up at 2.30am on the morning of the race.

"Maybe that helped me in the race. You see everything going on and you think, wow, this is the Olympics, this is really cool.

"Well it is actually the Olympics. I'm me, I don't go to the Olympics. I don't win an Olympic medal. It is something which is going to take an awful long time to hit home.

"One day in a few months or longer I think I will suddenly wake up and think, oh my God."

Coomber, a three-times world champion, finished 0.26 seconds behind gold medallist Tristan Gale of the United States. Another American, Ohio firefighter Lee Ann Parsley, who carried the World Trade Centre flag at the opening ceremony, was second.

Coomber admitted the blizzard conditions which momentarily put the race in doubt had not helped her. Snow tends to favour the heavier athletes but she said: "I can say with 101 per cent that this was a fair race.

"The track was as clean as it was for everybody and I think that it was absolutely great. I don't think anybody could argue anything else."

She placed third on her first run and maintained her position as the weather worsened. She failed to make in-roads into the lead during her second slide, probably hampered by a bad bump coming out of turn 11.

Coomber is now bracing herself for guest appearances on They Think It's All Over, A Question Of Sport and suchlike.

But of more immediate concern to her is the boost her medal and that of the curlers has given to the oft-beleaguered British Winter Olympic team.

And she intends to try to capitalise on her success by playing a big role in promoting her sport and trying to find a successor.

"I think it's so important to look at the future. So much of the focus on skeleton in Britain has been on today instead of tomorrow.

"I will get the interest for four months tops, then something else will happen. In four months, no-one will remember the Winter Olympics.

"We've got to try and promote it in Britain with long-term programmes and try to use the success here to our sport's benefit."

Today Coomber turns her attention to Rhona Martin's curlers, who go for gold on the Ogden Ice Sheet.

Coomber intends to be in the crowd cheering them on. She said: "A lot of people think it's boring but if I had a go I don't think I'd get within 20 feet.

"I had one race day and they've had 13 for which they have had to get themselves mentally and physically prepared. It's very, very different and I've got the utmost respect for them."

Ireland's Clifton Wrottersley came a surprising fourth in the men's event.

Wrottersley, who was born in Galway and is a baron who has sat in the House of Lords, secures funding for the tiny Irish Winter Games team via a friend's uncle who owns a vineyard in Bordeaux.

He said: "I almost forgot what I was doing on the first run and that probably helped. I think we might be able to rustle up a bottle of Chateaux de Sours tonight. Certainly the more nationalistic elements in Ireland might be a little wary of me, but the whole team has really got behind me here."

Emma Carrick-Anderson finished 19th in the women's slalom while Chemmy Alcott failed to finish the first run. The British men's biathlon team finished 11th and last in the men's 4x7.5km relay at Soldier Hollow.