Tabitha Stoecker says Instagram ad sparked her skeleton career

Team GB skeleton gold medallist Tabitha Stoecker says she found the sport after seeing an Instagram advert for the Discover Your Gold Talent ID process; she and Matt Weston won mixed team skeleton gold in Milan-Cortina, beating Germany by 0.17 seconds.

Tabitha Stoecker, a 25-year-old Team GB skeleton athlete, said she discovered the sport after seeing an Instagram advert for the Discover Your Gold Talent ID process. She and teammate Matt Weston won mixed team skeleton gold in Milan-Cortina. Stoecker told BBC Breakfast she had trained in circus arts, including flying trapeze and acrobatics, before trying skeleton in 2019. Milan-Cortina is her first Olympics and she made her international debut in December 2021. Key facts: - Stoecker says she saw an advert on Instagram for the Discover Your Gold Talent ID process and was selected for skeleton after responding. - Stoecker and Matt Weston beat Germany by 0.17 seconds to win mixed team skeleton gold at Milan-Cortina. - Stoecker finished fifth in the women's skeleton finals at these Games, and made her international debut in December 2021. - Following earlier individual gold by Matt Weston, around 4,000 people have signed up to the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association's talent ID campaign, with more than 1,000 sign-ups since the team race. - Team GB does not have its own ice track; athletes train on a push track at the University of Bath. - Matt Weston previously competed internationally in taekwondo and had a stress fracture that ended that phase of his career; he later suffered a broken back doing skeleton about three years ago, won an individual gold at these Games, and said he is getting married in July with Stoecker's boyfriend as best man. Summary: The mixed team gold, alongside an earlier individual gold, has coincided with a noticeable rise in interest in the BBSA's talent ID campaign, with thousands registering since the victories. Undetermined at this time.