MORE than a decade ago, champion skeleton athlete Matt Weston was told he would never walk again after breaking his back in what should have been a career-ending injury.
Now the 28-year-old has become the , after an astonishing victory on Super Sunday.
A beaming Matt Weston and Tabitha Stoecker after their gold medal win on SundayCredit: PA
Matt competing in the Gold-winning campaign on SundayCredit: Alamy
The duo’s victory seems even more unlikely considering they only have a CONCRETE track to practise on – as Tabitha demonstrates hereCredit: instagram/tabby_21_
, 25, in a nail-biting doubles event comeback in Milano Cortina.
But the duo are an unlikely medal-winning pair.
and him requiring the use of a wheelchair.
Meanwhile who only discovered her talent in the skeleton after responding to an advert she saw on .
Their victory seems even more unlikely considering the duo only have a CONCRETE track to practise on. Speaking of their win against the odds, Matt said: “It’s a weird one. We don’t actually have ice to train on.
“Some other nations, like , they have four tracks, so during the winter they can train way more than we can and hone in on their equipment and their skills.
“They have the opportunity to do that way more than us, so the fact we can come to an Olympics and beat them and beat other nations feels pretty amazing.”
‘Run of his life’
Skeleton is the daring sport that sees athletes travel head-first on a sled at up to 80mph, without brakes, through a winding course with many twists and turns.
Matt is now odds-on favourite to become Sports Personality of the Year after his wins over the weekend, with ecstatic fans also calling for him to be knighted.
And it seems the heroics of Matt and Tabitha have inspired a new generation to dream of representing too.
It means a hell of a lot to me personally, I’ve worked so hard for this. I’ve missed funerals, birthdays, everything for this moment and it feels amazing.
Matt Weston on Olympic Gold
In the past few days, more than 4,000 people have signed up to the British and Skeleton Association’s talent ID campaign, which hunts for future Olympic stars.
After claiming his first gold in the men’s singles skeleton on Friday, a rarely-lost-for-words Matt explained the victory was “everything”.
He continued: “It means a hell of a lot to me personally, I’ve worked so hard for this. I’ve missed funerals, birthdays, everything for this moment and it feels amazing.”
Knowing there was a chance to be a double Olympic champion, Matt forwent a boozy celebration, instead opting for slices of margherita pizza and an early night.
It paid off in the mixed team event, which sees both members race before their times are added together.
Tabitha’s run, which saw her reach 76mph speeds, ended with Team GB 0.3 seconds behind the favourites, Germany’s Susanne Kehrer and Axel Jungk.
Ahead of Matt taking to the ice, commentators remarked that he needed “the run of his life to pull this back”.
Incredibly, he did. When Matt crossed the line, he was 0.17 seconds faster than his rivals and had notched up speeds of 78.5mph on the track.
And he made sure to celebrate this victory. Asked what time he and Tabitha had got to bed after their win on Sunday, Matt said: “Gone 4am.
“We’re just running on adrenaline at the moment and the buzz of having an Olympic gold medal on our necks.”
Tabitha joked when asked if they had had a few drinks: “A few is the way you could put it!” Matt added: “We enjoyed ourselves. We’re not known for being good drinkers though, because we’re athletes.”
It is a remarkable feat, even more for the vast funding gap between Team GB and other top nations.
Vicky Gosling, chief executive of Team GB Snowsport, explained the US team receive “roughly £60million” compared to the UK’s £1.7million per year.
The display is typical of Matt’s determination and discipline, which first became clear when he was just seven years old practising taekwondo.
Matt after his stunning solo win on FridayCredit: Reuters
Tabitha and boyfriend Pat Atkin, who is also a former GB skeleton athleteCredit: Instagram / tabby_21_
Matt will marry fiancée Alex Howard-Jones, 28, later this yearCredit: Instagram
Matt’s former teacher Philip Lear said: “You have to be indomitable in taekwondo. He is one of those people who really embraces that value.”
His dad Tom, 71, echoed those sentiments. “There is not a day that goes by when he is not training,” he said. “He has a dedicated mental attitude to sport.”
While Matt, who was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, showed great promise in rugby, even playing for Academy, he excelled at taekwondo and won gold, silver and bronze medals at international championships between 2012 and 2014, before a horror injury.
Aged 17, he suffered a stress fracture to his lower back after twisting awkwardly while kicking and was forced to retire from the sport.
Doctors told him he would never regain full use of his legs and for a time he had to use a wheelchair.
Remarkably though, Matt bounced back. Tom says: “He took the recovery very seriously. He has had the right people and the right attitude.”
I did flying trapeze, acrobatics, and I absolutely loved the performance element of it all. I saw an advert on Instagram for Discover Your Gold Talent ID process and I guess the rest is history.
Tabitha Stoecker on getting into the sport
In 2017, Matt was advised by a weightlifting coach to try the Discover Your Gold talent identification scheme to see if he could compete in another discipline.
At Lee Valley Ice Centre, in Leyton, East London, experts recognised the transferable skills that would see him become a future Winter Olympic champion.
His current teammate Tabitha found the sport through the same programme two years later after training to be a circus performer.
“I did flying trapeze, acrobatics, and I absolutely loved the performance element of it all,” she told the BBC.
“I saw an advert on Instagram for Discover Your Gold Talent ID process and I guess the rest is history.”
But it was a conversation with Lizzy Yarnold, who won two back-to-back skeleton golds at the 2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeongchang Games, that she said “sparked inspiration in me”.
Tabitha, from Highgate, North London, went on to win silver medals in two World Championships and another in the European Championships last month in St Moritz, .
‘Big year’
Although not a trained circus artist like Tabitha, multi-talented Matt can juggle while on a unicycle and has been proving himself to be one of Team GB’s most acclaimed stars.
His feats include two gold meals at both the World Championships and the European Championships prior to his recent medal haul.
That came in spite of breaking his back for a second time three years ago.
These traits have led his teammates to call him “Captain 100 per cent” because he “can’t not win”, even when it comes to board games.
Matt and Tabitha’s historic victory at the weekend means Team GB have now cliched three golds – making it our most successful Winter Olympics to date.
When asked how it felt, Matt, who stores his two medals in a red and blue sock for safekeeping, quipped: “Pretty heavy actually.”
He added: “It feels absolutely amazing. To have two of these is unreal. I’m so, so proud of myself and the team and everyone who has been a part of this journey. ”
Tabitha was lost for words but described the win as “absolutely incredible” and a moment that left her with feelings of “shock, pride and happiness”.
She praised her teammate as “an incredible partner”, who she felt “really lucky to have been paired with”. She called him an inspiration, mentor and friend.
Now with gold medals under the belt, Matt has a new focus — his upcoming nuptials to fiancée Alex Howard-Jones, 28.
He said: “I’ve got a big year in 2026 — the Olympics, which has been absolutely amazing and some of the best days of my life.
“I can’t really say that for too much longer because I’m getting married in July, which I’m so, so excited about.
“But I’ve kind of been using the Olympics as an . I think I have to pull my finger out now.”
Tabitha’s boyfriend Pat Atkin, who is also a former GB skeleton athlete, is his best man and she describes them as “one big family” who were united by the sport.
And the pair are keen to encourage others to try out the skills.
Matt says: “I didn’t think I’d ever be going to the Games and competition in skeleton nine years ago but it has been an amazing journey.
“I’d just say to anyone who thinks that they can give these types of things a go or fancies throwing themselves headfirst down a mountain — grab these opportunities with both hands.”
- Find out more about the sport at thebbsa.co.uk .
Matt admitted his dream success did not feel ‘real’Credit: Reuters
Matt delivered Britain’s first medal of the 2026 Winter Olympics in style as he dominated the men’s skeleton competitionCredit: PA
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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