Laura Deas believes Winter Olympic athletes are made, rather than born – at least when it comes to a country like Wales.
The North Walian became the first Welsh woman to win a Winter Olympic medal when she took bronze in the skeleton at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang in South Korea.
In doing so, Deas put Wales on the map when it comes to winter sports, sliding her way into the same elite space on Olympic podiums occupied by the likes of Jade Jones, Lauren Price and Nicole Cooke.
Unlike taekwondo, boxing or cycling, though, it’s difficult to find anywhere in Wales you might be able to hone your skills all-year-round as a budding young sledger.
But Deas has a message to anyone inspired by her when she returns to the Winter Olympics stage in February in Beijing: There’s no need to rush.
The 33-year-old was not flying down an ice-packed run as a teenager in Wrexham and believes the most important thing for youngsters is to hone transferable skills through a multisport approach.
“I didn't find skeleton until I was almost 20,” says Deas.
“I think now, with modern sports science, this idea of talent transfer is becoming more and more prevalent.
“So, I think, as a youngster, if you're not sure if you have found your sport yet, or you're participating in multiple sports, that certainly isn't a bad thing.
“I competed in lots of different sports as I was growing up. I didn't find the thing that I was really good at until I was out of my teens.
“I think it's important to enjoy what you do as well as work hard at it. I was never pushed so hard as a youngster that I stopped enjoying sport.
“That’s really important. If you're a young athlete, and if you’re interested in a particular sport, and it's not one that you currently do, it’s a good idea to get in touch with that sport.
“Keep an eye out for when there might be talent ID days and stay across those opportunities.
“But overall, it’s enjoyment that is the key. You have to try something and find you like it.”
Deas played hockey and was a horse rider in her younger days until she herself was spotted in 2009 at a talent identification programme.
