'''Elizabeth Anne Yarnold''', [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44397682 |title=OBE, Birthday list 2018|date=9 June 2018|accessdate=9 June 2018}}</ref> (born 31 October 1988) is a British former British [[Skeleton (sport)|skeleton]] racer who joined the Great Britain national squad in 2010. With consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2014 and 2018, she is the most successful British Winter Olympian and the most successful Olympic skeleton athlete of all time from any nation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://twitter.com/uk_sport/status/964853881401434112|title=GOLD for Lizzy Yarnold pic.twitter.com/3e4vSStWvC|last=Sport|first=U. K.|date=17 February 2018|website=@uk_sport|accessdate=17 February 2018}}</ref> She won the [[2013–14 Skeleton World Cup]] (only once finishing off the podium the whole season), followed by a gold in the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] in [[Sochi]].<ref name="fibt_2014_results"/><ref name="bbc_sochi_gold"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-sports/31241226 |title=Lizzy Yarnold crowned European skeleton champion in Austria |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=8 February 2015 |website=[[bbc.co.uk]]|accessdate=8 February 2015}}</ref> Yarnold was selected to be one of the two women skeleton drivers representing [[Team GB]] at the [[Skeleton at the 2018 Winter Olympics|2018 Winter Olympics]] in [[Pyeongchang]],<ref>{{cite press release | accessdate = 22 January 2018 | publisher = [[British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association]] | date = 22 January 2018 | title = Quartet earn Olympic Skeleton spots | url = http://www.thebbsa.co.uk/2016/quartet-earn-olympic-skeleton-spots/}}</ref> and went on to become the first person to defend an Olympic gold in skeleton and the first British athlete to defend a Winter Olympic title.<ref>{{cite web | accessdate =17 February 2018 | publisher = BBC Sport | date = 17 February 2018 | title = Winter Olympics: Lizzy Yarnold defends skeleton gold as Laura Deas takes bronze | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/42981272}}</ref> Yarnold set the track record for women's skeleton at the [[Alpensia Sliding Centre|Olympic venue]] in the final heat of the race with a time of 51.46 seconds, beating [[Jacqueline Lölling]]'s pre-Olympic record by nearly 1.3 seconds and her own first-heat record by 0.2 second.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/game-time/results/OWG2018/resOWG2018/pdf/OWG2018/SKN/OWG2018_SKN_C00_SKN-------------------------------.pdf | title = Official results book, 2018 Olympic Winter Games (Skeleton) | page = 88 | author1 = Jorge GUERRERO | author2 = César GRANDE | date = 17 February 2018 | publisher = PyeongChang Organising Committee for the Olympic Games | accessdate = 17 February 2018}}</ref> Yarnold was also the flag bearer for [[Great Britain at the 2018 Winter Olympics|Great Britain]] at the [[2018 Winter Olympics Parade of Nations|Pyeongchang opening ceremony]].<ref>{{cite news|author1=Telegraph Sport|title=Lizzy Yarnold named Team GB flagbearer at Winter Olympics opening ceremony|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/winter-olympics/2018/02/08/lizzy-yarnold-named-team-gb-flagbearer-winter-olympics-organisers/|accessdate=8 February 2018|agency=The Telegraph|date=8 February 2018|location=Pyeongchang}}</ref>
