Skeleton athlete Jackie Narracott

Sliding head first down an ice track at speeds of up to 140km/h is just part of the job for Winter Olympian Jackie Narracott. Over the past decade, Jackie has self-funded over $90,000 to train and compete in skeleton. The result? She just became the first Australian to win a World Cup gold medal in any sliding sport. Growing up, Jackie dreamed of being an Olympian. Her uncle Paul was the first Australian to compete at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and Jackie was committed to following in his footsteps in athletics. But a chance meeting at a training session led Jackie into winter sports instead. Jackie joins host Sam Squiers days before the Beijing Games to discuss why she swapped the athletics track for bobsled and bobsled for skeleton, recovering from the concussion that made her question her future in the sport and how she's made a career for herself without consistent funding or a coach. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.