Lizzy Yarnold: Difference between revisions

| birth_place = [[Sevenoaks]], Kent, England<ref name=teamgb>{{cite web |title=Lizzy Yarnold |url=http://www.teamgb.com/athletes/lizzy-yarnold | title=Lizzy Yarnold | publisher=www.teamgb.com | access-date=10 February 2014}}</ref>

| weight = {{Convertconvert|70|kg|stlb lb|order=flip}}<ref name="bskeleton" />

In 2008, Yarnold took part in [[UK Sport]]'s Girls4Gold talent search scheme.<ref name="girls4gold">{{cite web |title=Lizzy's story - Spotlight on Girls4gold graduate Lizzy Yarnold |url=http://www.uksport.gov.uk/news/sochi-2014-spotlight-on-girls4gold-graduate-lizzy-yarnold |publisher=UK Sport |date=13 February 2014}}</ref> Initially she thought she would be suitable for a sport involving horses, but UK Sport identified skeleton as a good option.<ref name="girls4gold"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Golden girl Yarnold only took up skeleton five years ago |url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/thesochinetwork/golden-girl-yarnold-only-took-skeleton-five-years-183314981.html |publisher=UK Eurosport |date=14 February 2014 |access-date=15 February 2014}}</ref> She began competing in 2010, winning her first official race in the Europa Cup at [[Igls]] in November. The next day she had her second win.<ref name="bskeleton">{{cite web |title=Lizzy Yarnold |url=http://www.britishskeleton.co.uk/the-team/people/lizzy-yarnold/ |url-status=dead |publisher=www.britishskeleton.co.uk |access-date=15 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214205341/http://www.britishskeleton.co.uk/the-team/people/lizzy-yarnold/ |archive-date=14 February 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Following her success in the Olympics and World Cup, Yarnold completed a career grand slam in 2014/15 by becoming [[Bobsleigh and Skeleton European Championship|European Champion]] in February 2015 and [[FIBT World Championships|World Champion]] the following month. She broke the track record at [[Winterberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track|Winterberg]] twice in the course of her World Championship victory.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/07/lizzy-yarnold-world-championship-skeleton-grand-slam |title=Lizzy Yarnold wins world championship title to seal skeleton grand slam |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=7 March 2015 |website=[[theguardian.com]]|access-date=18 September 2015}}</ref> She finished as runner-up to [[Janine Flock]] in that season's World Cup standings, winning five World Cup races and being defeated by a narrow margin of 20 points after missing the [[Canada Olympic Park bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track|Calgary]] round of the series for health reasons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibsf.org/en/news/latest-news/news-article/news/5684.html?backUrl=%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D171%26page%3D13%26filter%255B%255D%3D%26L%3D0 |title=Viessmann FIBT World Cup in Sochi: Janine Flock claims overall victory, Fifth win of the season for Lizzy Yarnold |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=14 February 2015 |website=[[International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation]] |access-date=18 September 2015}}{{dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

After a year out of competition, Yarnold finished fourth on her return at Whistler in December 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibsf.org/en/news/9-skeleton/19888-bmw-ibsf-world-cup-skeleton-pilot-elisabeth-vathje-wins-opening-event-in-whistler |title=BMW IBSF World Cup: Skeleton athlete Elisabeth Vathje wins opening event in Whistler |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=3 December 2016 |website=[[International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation]] |access-date=13 June 2018}}</ref> In the World Championships held at Königssee in February 2017, Yarnold won the bronze medal.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url=http://www.ibsf.org/en/news/9-skeleton/20058-2017-bmw-ibsf-world-championships-skeleton-gold-medal-for-jacqueline-loelling-of-germany |title=2017 BMW IBSF World Championships: Skeleton gold medal for Jacqueline Lölling of Germany |date=25 February 2017 |website=[[International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation]] |access-date=13 June 2018}}</ref> She finished the year seventh in the IBSF rankings and ninth in the World Cup.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibsf.org/en/rankings/rankings?season=2016&ctype=6&session= |title=Standings: Women's Skeleton: BMW IBSF Ranking |author=<!--data--> |website=[[International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation]] |access-date=13 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibsf.org/en/rankings/rankings?season=2016&ctype=6&session=WC |title=Standings: 2016/17: Women's Skeleton: BMW IBSF World Cup |author=<!--data--> |website=[[International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation]] |access-date=13 June 2018}}</ref>

Having suffered from dizzy spells for several years, in September 2017 Yarnold disclosed that she had been diagnosed with a [[vestibular disorder]] affecting the inner ear.<ref>{{cite web |last=McDaid |first=David |title=Lizzy Yarnold: Olympic skeleton champion diagnosed with vestibular disorder |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/41286135 |publisher=BBC Sport |date=15 September 2017 |access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> After a relatively poor season,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://inews.co.uk/sport/olympics/lizzy-yarnold-interview-winter-olympics/ |title=Lizzy Yarnold interview: ‘After winning everything I had to take time off’ |last=Rich |first=Tim |date=8 February 2018 |website=[[inews.co.uk]] |access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> she successfully defended her Olympic title at the 2018 Games in Pyongchang, despite suffering from a number of health problems: upon arriving in South Korea for the Games she developed a chest infection, which worsened to the point that she was having trouble speaking and breathing, and on the first day of competition she suffered from dizziness due to a flare-up of her vestibular condition.<ref name=kelner>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jul/31/lizzy-yarnold-i-wanted-to-scream-winter-olympic-double-gold-medallist |title=Lizzy Yarnold: I wanted to scream ‘I wish people knew the truth’ |last=Kelner |first=Martha |author-link=Martha Kelner |date=31 July 2018 |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> She took the lead with a new track record on the first run: despite this she subsequently admitted that she was on the verge of pulling out of the competition due to her health problems.<ref name=bens>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/winter-olympics/2018/02/17/lizzy-yarnold-laura-deas-winter-olympics-womens-skeleton-final/ |title=Lizzy Yarnold takes gold to retain Olympic title as Laura Deas wins bronze |last1=Bloom |first1=Ben |last2=Coles |first2=Ben |date=17 February 2018|website=The Telegraph |access-date=17 October 2018}}</ref> Dropping down to third place after the second run, albeit just a tenth of a second behind overnight leader [[Jacqueline Lölling]], her health improved for the second day, and she subsequently moved up to second after the third run, two hundredths of a second behind new leader [[Janine Flock]].<ref name=bens /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/17/lizzy-yarnold-wins-winter-olympics-gold-laura-deas-bronze-record-britain-day |title=Lizzy Yarnold takes skeleton gold to make Winter Olympics history for Britain |last=Ingle |first=Sean |author-link=Sean Ingle |date=17 February 2018 |website=The Guardian |access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> On the final run she set another track record to clinch the gold by almost half a second.<ref name=bens /> She subsequently stated that she considers her second Olympic gold to be her greatest achievement.<ref name=retire />

Yarnold has ranked on the [[International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation]] (IBSF) rankings since the 2010–11 season.<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--data--> |title=Standings |url=http://www.ibsf.org/en/rankings/rankings?season=2017&ctype=6&session= |website=[[International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation]] |access-date=13 June 2018}}</ref>