When Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker made history at the Winter Olympics, winning three gold medals between them in the skeleton, neither knew their success would kick-start a surge of interest in the sport never before seen in Great Britain.
In the months during and after the Games, more than 7,000 people have signed up for a talent identification campaign launched by the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) to find future stars for the two sports.
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On the two days alone that Weston and Stoecker won gold in the men’s and the team event, around 2,400 people signed up – 1,200 each day.
For a country that does not even have an ice track for athletes to train on, the sport is now experiencing a a post-Games boom.
“Having those 7,000 applicants is actually quite a tangible thing for me to say, ‘I know this is how much impact we’ve had on the nation’,” Weston told BBC Somerset.
“It’s definitely done wonders for the the profile of the sport and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.”
Weston and Stoecker are both examples of how successful talent spotting programmes can be.
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Both came to skeleton via a UK Sport campaign called ‘Discover Your Gold’, which saw potential athletes assessed for a range of sports and allocated to the one they were most suited to.
Weston previously competed as a weightlifter and was advised to apply by his coach, while Stoecker saw an advert on Instagram while working as a circus performer.
But what makes the applicants from this year different is that they were registering interest in a scheme specific to skeleton and bobsleigh, rather than one working across a wide range of sports.
Testing sessions have already begun with around 1,600 of those 7,000 invited to take part. To put that into context, the BBSA’s pre-Games target hoped 1,000 people would apply, let alone make it past the first stage.
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“The sport, it’s quite niche, we don’t get a lot of exposure at times outside of the Games so for us to have capitalised on that moment so well, it’s going to have a huge impact in the future of our sport,” Stoecker said.
“It just goes to show that if you can see it, you can believe it. It opens a door for people to know that there’s this path out there for them to go and do this amazing, exciting winter sport that you don’t really get to see that much in the UK.
“For me and Matt to know that we were pivotal in creating that moment for people to really see something new and envision themselves in our position – it’s absolutely fantastic.”
‘I’m from London, I didn’t see mountains’
Tabitha Stoecker only started competing in skeleton in 2021 [PA Media]
Weston and Stoecker are the latest in a line of British athletes who have stood on a Winter Olympics podium in skeleton.
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Amy Williams and Lizzy Yarnold won gold – the latter twice – while the likes of Laura Deas and Dominic Parsons clinched bronze in 2018, helping Britain reach a total of 11 medals in the history of the sport.
Weston, 29, became the first British man to win ever win gold, capping a remarkable few years that has also seen him twice become world champion, win the European title and three World Cup trophies, having first started in the sport in 2017.
Stoecker however only began competing internationally in 2021 and Milano-Cortina was her first Games.
The 26-year-old said she would love to see people from more diverse backgrounds get into the sport.
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“I’m from central London, I didn’t have mountains and I didn’t see winter sports people and see myself in their position but I found myself in it,” she said.
“Now, I would love to be that person who has come from those backgrounds and people who are there now can see me, and see what I’ve done, and it will allow them to believe in themselves and take that first step towards potentially getting into a winter sport.”
Weston is the first Briton to win two gold medals in a single Winter Olympic Games [PA Media]
Weston said he has not yet been able to “take that breath” and reflect on what he achieved at the Games – becoming the first British athlete to win two gold medals in a single Winter Olympics.
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The media spotlight has brought plenty of new commitments and attention while he has also undergone shoulder surgery, on an injury he was carrying before the Games.
“I’ve needed the operation for a year and a half before the Olympics so I was held together a lot with with painkillers and tape at the Games, which for obvious reasons we kept quite quiet in the lead up,” Weston said.
“We’re already thinking of 2030 and 2034 even, about the new talent coming through and how we’re going to progress,” he added.
“I want to be pushed as well, I want people to be coming through trying to argue for my spot in the team because that pushes me to be faster.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
