Growing up, Amelia Coltman harboured dreams of being a professional tennis player and competing for gold at the Olympics.
And while her ambitions of following in the footsteps of Sir Andy Murray may not have come to fruition, the prospect of seeing the 28-year-old on an Olympic podium is more than possible as the skeleton athlete has her sights set on the Winter Olympics in 2026.
With less than one year to go until Milano Cortina, the Brit is not just looking to make up the numbers in Italy, she wants to put herself in the mix for top honours at what would be debut Games.
“I want to compete,” she said. “I have got to get there first and that will be such a big achievement.
“But I want to go there, and I want to show the world what I can do. And with the support of the team and the equipment we have, everyone is there to go and compete for medals and bring those home in both the single and team events.”
Being selected for Team GB to go to Italy would be a testament to Coltman’s perseverance and determination having suffered from a reoccurring foot injury in recent years.
Coltman has undergone three toe-related surgeries to remove a piece of bone that was causing her pain when pushing off.
She explained those procedures had “stagnated” her progress during a rough few years.
However, there was no way that she was going to let her injury stop her from coming back to the podium.
“It feels like overcoming all of that and just getting to the Games is one achievement,” said Coltman. “But I would not just be satisfied with just going there, I want to challenge.”
And there is no reason why a fully fit Coltman cannot put her name into the hat for a spot on the podium in February.
She is the reigning European Championship silver medallist having claimed skeleton bronze the previous year, Britain's first women’s medal at the event since 2015.
Those performances, alongside a fourth-place finish at the World Cup, means Coltman is coming into form at just the right time.
“I think getting the bronze European medal last year was amazing,” she continued. “I went into this year's Europeans really open-minded and did not put pressure on it.
“And then to come away with the silver was amazing. I really did not think about my position or getting a medal. I just did the race to the best of my ability and then when I reflect on the race, I am like ‘wow, I actually I came second!’
“I was not expecting it and it has filled me with confidence for the upcoming year because that is when it really matters.”
Coltman has also had success in the team event this season alongside current World Championship silver medallist Marcus Wyatt as the pair took gold at the World Cup event in Lillehammer in February.
She also claimed bronze in St Moritz at another World Cup outing when partnered with two-time World Champion Matt Weston in January and Coltman is enjoying getting to grips with the team aspect of the sport, set to make it's Olympic debut next February.
“It is kind of different,” she said. “I have got a couple of medals so I feel confident that I can really perform in the team race environment.
“It is quite different because you have the dynamic of all the men and all the women together.
“I have to treat it as if it is not a team race. I have to pretend it's an individual race, otherwise I get distracted by everyone.
“I say to whoever my partner is ‘I am not going to speak to you until after the race’ so I can get the best out of myself.
“It took a few races to understand what the environment was and how it affected me, but I think I have managed to deal with that well and the medals speak for themselves.”
Coltman’s route into skeleton came via being selected for the GB Skeleton Talent team in 2017 after signing up for a UK Sport-run talent transfer program whilst still studying for her Sports Science degree at Sheffield Hallam University.
Little did she know where her journey would take her.
“I actually just wanted to improve my CV, so I started by volunteering on the talent program testing people,” she explained.
“It was quite funny because I tested Matt [Weston] who is world champion!
“I saw what the other women were doing, and I thought ‘maybe I could be talented at this as well’ so I put my name down last-minute for the tests and the skeleton team said we think you have potential, and we would like to test you further.
“It was a last-minute thing that has completely changed my life over the last eight years.”
Following in the footsteps of successful British sliders Amy Williams – gold medallist at Vancouver in 2010 – and Lizzy Yarnold – double Olympic champion in 2014 and 2018 –, Coltman knows she could be watched on television by millions of people and relishes the opportunity of being someone that children could be inspired by.
“I absolutely love being a role model,” she said excitedly. “That is partly why I do this sport.
“A lot of my job on the side of being a skeleton athlete is being an athlete mentor which means going into schools and working with disadvantaged children.
“I work with them to inspire them to do whatever they want to achieve and that for me is such a rewarding part.
“To be able to do my sport and be a role model at the same time it for me is just the perfect mix.”
And when asked what she would say to the next generation of budding athletes who may watch skeleton for the first time next year, Coltman’s message was clear.
“It is so good to try something new,” she added. “Do not be afraid of it.
“I tried skeleton when I was 20 so it is never too late to change career path or change what dream you want to do.
“And dream big. You never know where it's going to get you.
“If I hadn't have said yes to this opportunity, I would not be in the running to go to an Olympic Games right now.”
Sportsbeat 2025