Grassroots to Glory - Craig Thompson

Ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, there’s a decided buzz around the podium potential of Team GB’s male skeleton racers.

After British women dominated the sport for five straight Games, Craig Thompson, 29, feels this year might be his chance to shine.

Thompson, a former Swindon Town footballer and Swindon Harrier, made his World Cup debut in February 2019—almost exactly a year to the day Dom Parsons, in PyeongChang won Team GB’s first men’s skeleton medal since the sport was re-introduced to the Olympic programme after a 54-year absence.

Thompson and fellow Beijing hopefuls Marcus Wyatt and Matt Weston were among the British Skeleton squad who had a chance to break in the new state-of-the-art Olympic track at a test event in China last month.

Thompson, who is one of over 1,000 athletes able to train full-time, access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support thanks to National Lottery funding, said: “They’ve drilled small, square blocks onto the roof and it looks like dragon scales.

“It looks like a dragon spine going down the side of the mountain. It’s phenomenal – I honestly don’t think the telly will do it justice. It’s possibly one of the smartest tracks I’ve been to.”

British Skeleton might not have a track of its own in the UK, but the team’s state-of-the-art facilities in Bath include an innovative push-start track, and in July the squad received a £90,000 cash influx from UK Sport to support their run-up to Beijing and talent development for future Games.

Despite the promising success enjoyed by Thompson and his teammates, he insisted kids don’t grow up wanting to be skeleton stars.

“I don’t think many people still want to grow up wanting to be a skeleton athlete, just because it’s such a niche sport. My personal experience is that it’s not well-known in the UK.

“I don’t think that side of things have changed. But we’ve got a real good crop of young athletes coming through.”

But perhaps there’s a fighting chance Thompson and his team-mates might convert a few more kids this winter.

He would more than welcome the opportunity to try.

“My life goal dream [would] come true,” said Thompson, who is bidding to add to the 1,000+ Olympic and Paralympic medals achieved by TeamGB since National Lottery funding to elite sport started in 1997.

“As corny as it sounds, I’m literally just following a boyhood dream to go to the Olympics or represent my country. The pinnacle of sport.”

Since National Lottery funding to elite sport started in 1997, over 1,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals have been won, with more to come in Beijing 2022, Paris 2024 and beyond.