Team GB hero told he’d never walk again before Winter Olympics gold | Other | Sport
The skeleton hero had already been on the top of the podium earlier in the week, after taking gold in the men’s individual event. Now a household name, Weston – along with doubles partner Tabitha Stoecker – has helped put the sport of skeleton on the map.
But had things worked out differently, Weston might have been competing in the Summer Olympics instead, as he originally started out his sporting life as a taekwondo athlete. He impressed on the youth circuits, winning medals at international championships, but his rise to prominence was halted after fracturing his back.
As a result of the injury, sport-mad Weston – who had also shown promise as a rugby player in the Saracens Academy – was told he’d never have the full use of his legs again. To make matters worse, he was forced into a wheelchair, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing a dream in professional sport.
His weightlifting coach, Chris Dear, recommended attending UK Sport’s talent identification campaign, which is where experts suggested he might be a good fit for skeleton. Two Olympic gold medals later, it’s safe to say Weston’s decision to pursue a career in skeleton has proved worthwhile, even if he did have to uproot his life to do so.
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Weston moved to the West Country so he could practice on the only skeleton track in the UK at the University of Bath. The UK is the only competitive nation without an ice track, so Weston had initially learned to ply his trade on a concrete version instead.
In the end, Weston’s drive proved indomitable, with the Team GB hero having praised his own determination as a key force behind his rise to the top. He said: “I want to win everything, I want to be a perfectionist in everything — I’m a nightmare when we play Monopoly at home.
“My team-mates call me Captain 110 per cent because I can’t not win. Even when we’re squatting, they might put one kilo on the bar and I’ll be like, ‘I’ll do another set just to try and beat them’.”
