Lizzy Yarnold applied for the UK Sport and EIS Talent ID campaign, Girls4Gold in 2008 having never tried skeleton before. She enjoyed incredible success in 2012, winning two of the four races she entered in the 2011-12 Skeleton World Cup, being crowned Junior World Champion.
Yarnold went on to claim the bronze medal at the 2012 World Championships in Lake Placid, finishing ahead of teammates Shelley Rudman and Amy Williams, and behind eventual World Champion Katie Uhlaender of the USA and silver medallist Melissa Hollingsworth of Canada.
“After hearing about the Girls4Gold project I really wanted to get involved although I was not sure which sport. Through the talent assessment days I was selected for skeleton and I have not looked back. With the help of the World Class Coaches and Support Team, inside just three years I have managed to win Junior and Senior World Championship medals and I am looking forward to the build-up to Sochi 2014” said Lizzy
During the 2012–13 Skeleton World Cup Yarnold took silver and bronze medals in the Park City and Whistler races respectively, ultimately earning her a fourth place overall finish in the tournament. She has gone from strength to strength after bursting onto the international World Cup scene and is currently positioned fourth in the World Rankings.
In February 2013 Lizzy again narrowly missed out on a medal, placing fourth at the World Championships in St. Moritz.
Her training and preparations are now in full swing for the first race of the 2013-14 World Cup in Calgary on November 30th, with the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games on the horizon.
Interested in siging up for the Girls4Gold program? You can sign up via the UK Sport website: http://www.uksport.gov.uk/forms/girls4gold/