The 28-year-old has rebuilt from crushing disappointment in the skeleton four years ago to become Britain’s best hope of Winter Olympic gold at Milano Cortina
“E
xcitement is definitely the word I’d use,” Matt Weston says as the world No 1 and the reigning world champion in the skeleton looks ahead to the start of the Winter Olympics this week. Weston has just won the skeleton World Cup, winning five out of seven races and finishing second to his team-mate, Marcus Wyatt, in the two others.
The 28-year-old is clearly Team GB’s strongest hope for a gold medal at Milano Cortina and enthusiasm and belief pours out of him. “I’m just so excited,” he says. “The pressure is higher, it’s a bigger event, and there are a lot of eyes on me. But at the same time there’s that confidence heightened by the momentum and the results I’ve got behind me. I know I can perform.”
Weston is an assured and fluid talker, but he has endured crushing disappointment in the past and adversity as recently as September. In the skeleton he is hurtling down a thick sheet of ice on a hi-tech version of a sled at around 90pmh – headfirst and with no brakes. So he is smart enough to pause.
