Lizzy Yarnold facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Elizabeth Anne Yarnold | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Lizzy, She-ra, The Yarnold, OC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 31 October 1988 Sevenoaks, Kent, England |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 11 stone 0 pounds; 154 pounds (70 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) |
James Roche
(m. 2016) |
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| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Great Britain |
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| Sport | Skeleton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Eric Bernotas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Elizabeth Anne Yarnold, also known as Lizzy, is a famous British athlete. She used to compete in the sport of skeleton. Lizzy joined the Great Britain national team in 2010.
She is known for winning two Olympic gold medals in a row. She won gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and again at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. This made her the most successful British Winter Olympian ever. She is also the most successful Olympic skeleton athlete from any country.
In 2014, Lizzy won the 2013–14 Skeleton World Cup. She was chosen to represent Team GB at the 2018 Winter Olympics. There, she became the first person to win two Olympic gold medals in skeleton. She was also the first British athlete to win a Winter Olympic title twice in a row.
During the 2018 Olympics, Lizzy set a new track record. She finished her final race with a time of 51.46 seconds. This was much faster than previous records. Lizzy was also the flag bearer for Great Britain at the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang.
Contents
Early Life and School
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Lizzy Yarnold was born in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. She went to St Michael's Preparatory School. Later, she attended Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, where she was the Head Girl.
After finishing school, Lizzy studied geography and sport and exercise science. She went to the University of Gloucestershire.
Lizzy's Personal Life
When Lizzy started skeleton racing, she moved to Bath, Somerset. She lived in a flat that belonged to another famous skeleton athlete, Amy Williams. Amy had won an Olympic gold medal in 2010.
On May 1, 2016, Lizzy married James Roche. James is an engineer who helped design Lizzy's sled. He worked for a company called McLaren Applied Technologies.
How Lizzy Started Skeleton Racing
Lizzy first dreamed of being a heptathlete. This is a sport where athletes compete in seven different events. She was inspired by watching Denise Lewis at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
In 2008, Lizzy joined a program called Girls4Gold. This program helps find talented athletes for different sports. Lizzy thought she might be good at horse riding sports. However, the program suggested skeleton racing was a better fit for her.
She started competing in 2010. Her first official win was in November at the Europa Cup in Igls. She won again the very next day!
Over the next few years, Lizzy improved her skills. She learned different race tracks and became strong enough to compete at the highest level. In 2012, she became a junior World Champion. She also won a bronze medal at the senior World Championships that year.
Lizzy named her sled Mervyn. She named it after a former colleague of hers, Mervyn Sugden.
Her Amazing 2013-2014 Season
In the 2013-2014 season, Lizzy showed how competitive she was. She was often the fastest in practice runs. She won the first race in Calgary. This set the stage for a big competition with US athlete Noelle Pikus-Pace.
Lizzy eventually won the World Cup Championship at the last race of the season. She also won the Olympic gold medal at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. She finished almost a second ahead of Noelle Pikus-Pace.
Her Olympic performance was incredible. She had the fastest time in all four runs. She even set new track records on her first and third runs. Lizzy's gold medal was the tenth gold medal ever won by British athletes at the Winter Olympics. It also meant that Great Britain had won a medal in women's skeleton at every Winter Olympics since the sport began.
After her success, Lizzy was given an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This was for her great achievements in skeleton racing.
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Success in 2014-2015
After her Olympic and World Cup wins, Lizzy achieved a "career grand slam" in 2014-2015. This means she won all the major titles. She became the European Champion in February 2015. The next month, she became the World Champion.
During her World Championship win, she broke the track record twice at Winterberg. She finished second overall in the World Cup standings that season. She won five World Cup races. She missed one race due to health reasons, which made her lose the overall title by a small amount.
In September 2015, Lizzy announced she would take a year off. She missed the 2015-2016 skeleton season because she felt very tired and needed a break.
Return to Competition: 2016-2017
After her year-long break, Lizzy returned to competition in December 2016. She finished fourth in her first race back at Whistler. In February 2017, she won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Königssee. She finished the year ranked seventh in the IBSF rankings and ninth in the World Cup.
Challenges and Olympic Gold in 2017-2018
Lizzy had been experiencing dizzy spells for several years. In September 2017, she shared that she had a vestibular disorder. This is a condition that affects the inner ear and can cause dizziness.
Despite a difficult season, she successfully defended her Olympic title at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang. She faced many health problems during the Games. When she arrived in South Korea, she got a chest infection. It got so bad that she had trouble speaking and breathing. On the first day of competition, her vestibular condition flared up, causing dizziness.
Even with these challenges, she took the lead with a new track record on her first run. She later said she almost pulled out of the competition because of her health. She dropped to third place after the second run. However, her health improved for the second day of racing. She moved up to second place after the third run. In the final run, she set another track record and won the gold medal by almost half a second! She later said that winning her second Olympic gold was her greatest achievement.
After Pyeongchang and Retirement
Just a few weeks after the 2018 Olympics, Lizzy had knee surgery. Doctors removed a small growth in her knee that they had found six months before the Games. After the surgery, using crutches made her back pain worse. She had suffered from back pain for several years. Doctors found she had a slipped disc, which meant she needed strong pain medication for months. She had successful back surgery in July 2018.
In September 2018, Lizzy said she planned to return to training. However, the next month, she announced her retirement from competing. She now helps young athletes as a mentor. She also works for the British Olympic Association's athlete commission.
Images for kids
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Lizzy Yarnold competing in 2017
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2014 Winter Olympics medal winners
See also
In Spanish: Elizabeth Yarnold para niños
