Olympic medalist Deas retires
Olympic medalist Laura Deas has called time on a glittering skeleton career that began back in 2009 and featured more than 120 races for Great Britain.
Deas won Olympic bronze in PyeongChang in 2018, making history in South Korea as she and team-mate Lizzy Yarnold became the first British Winter Olympians to stand on a medal podium together in an individual event.
The 36-year-old won no fewer than 23 international medals, including World Cup gold in Altenberg in 2015 and World Championship silver in the team event with Matt Weston in St Moritz in 2023.
She finishes her GB career with seven World Cup medals in all, with her most recent podium place coming when she won silver in Sigulda in her last ever competitive race in February 2023.
“It’s been an amazing journey and I’m retiring with some incredible memories,” said Deas, who took a break from the sport ahead of the birth of her daughter in April 2024.
PyeongChang is the obvious highlight but it’s not just about the medal and the history for Team GB: so many of our friends and family and British supporters were able to be out there so it was just the most incredible atmosphere at the finish line.
“That craziness when Lizzy and I realised we’d both got medals, the celebrations that erupted were just bonkers - it really felt like it was Team GB’s party. Looking across the outline and seeing a sea of Union flags and so many familiar faces will always be etched in my mind. That was so special.
“There are also two big moments at either end of my career that I’ll really remember, too. We swept the Europa Cup podium in Igls in 2010 and that was something that had never been done before. They didn’t have enough Union flags for the medalists so clearly no one expected it to happen! There was a real feeling of, ‘we’ve arrived now; we’re not playing; we’re good at this and we’re here to win’. That gave us a lot of confidence and it magnified our sense of purpose - we were starting to achieve what we’d set out to do.
“At the other end, the team race at the World Championships in St Moritz two years ago stands out. That whole season was a journey to a bit of redemption and healing and believing again after the Beijing Olympics. That was partly because it was the team race and we were winning medals with guys who had been through the Beijing cycle together. To have four of us on the podium with silver and bronze (Deas, Weston, Brogan Crowley and Craig Thompson) felt like an absolute dream come true to bookmark the first year of the new cycle. To celebrate that together was an amazing feeling.”
World Champs silver in 2023 ranks as a career highlight for Laura Deas
A former professional eventer who had also excelled at tetrathlon, captaining Wales in international competitions, Deas joined the British Skeleton programme 16 years ago through the UK Sport talent ID campaign, Girls4Gold.
She made her debut in Cesana in November 2010 and, prior to this week’s announcement, had been in the British Skeleton set up for five years longer than the next longest serving member of the squad.
“If someone had told me at the start of my career that I’d go on to achieve what I have, I don’t think I would have believed them but, to be honest, I wouldn’t have embarked on the journey of trying to become a top-level skeleton athlete if I didn’t believe it was possible,” added Wrexham-born, Wiltshire-based Deas.
That Girls4Gold crop all came into the programme wanting to be Olympic medalists - that was always the reason for being there. I always felt that, by being part of the programme, that was on the cards if I worked hard, did everything right and everything came together.
“When I knew that I was going to have my daughter, I wanted to remain open minded about whether I was going to come back into the sport or not. I didn’t know what the experience of motherhood was going to be like, physically, mentally or practically. It’s been a voyage of discovery!
“I did return to some training with the team and I really enjoyed that but I felt that my priorities had shifted and I wasn’t going to be able to do justice to returning to the sport. I felt that I wasn’t going to be single minded enough or ruthless enough to be the athlete that I was previously and I didn’t want to go back into the sport in a way that didn’t feel true to me.
I’m in a very lucky position where I’ve achieved almost all of the things I set out to do at the start of my career so I really don’t feel like there’s too much unfinished business.
“For that reason, the competitive edge that you need has diminished a little. That’s coupled with the fact that I don’t want to sacrifice time with my daughter and I know that going on tour would involve more than just me - it would be a whole family endeavour and that just wasn’t going to be practical for us all.
“I feel proud of everything I’ve accomplished and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has helped me on the way. I know that now is the right time to stop sliding and I’m looking forward to what comes next.”
Deas won World Cup silver in Sigulda in her last-ever race for GB
What comes next will hopefully feature more involvement with skeleton and winter sports, albeit in a very different capacity.
Deas has long had an interest in the media and has gathered some great experiences during the latter stages of her career as an athlete. As well as trying her hand at presenting and interviewing, she has regularly contributed to the BBSA’s social media channels and will be carrying on with that role for the foreseeable future.
“My passion now is to bring sliding sports and other niche sports that don’t get as much of the spotlight into the public consciousness. I want to try and tell the story of how amazing these sports really are. The nation gets hooked on these sports every four years but then the interest goes away. Maybe that’s my mission now.
I’ve wanted to get more involved in the broadcast side of the sport and this time away from the track has enabled me to put some things in place. I’d love to think that I could be out in Milan Cortina for the Olympics next year in that capacity.
“I’d love to stay involved with British Skeleton, too. I think I’ve got skills I can offer the athletes and I hope I’ll stay in the skeleton family in some way. I’ll definitely still be watching with interest and cheering everyone on whatever happens.”
“Laura has been an outstanding ambassador for British Skeleton for more than 15 years and she deserves a huge amount of respect and admiration for what she has achieved,” said the BBSA’s Executive Performance Director, Natalie Dunman.
“That bronze medal at the Olympics in 2018 was such an amazing moment, not only for Laura but for the sport as a whole. It is hard for anyone to watch that back and not be moved by the excellence and the emotions of that day.
Laura’s longevity in the sport is really special, too. To compete at seven World Championships and two Olympics and to win 23 times is incredibly impressive. To represent your country well over 100 times is also a huge achievement and it shows Laura’s consistency and commitment, as well as her excellence on the ice.
“We fully understand Laura’s decision to step away from competitive racing as she embraces motherhood but we look forward to having her remain involved in the programme in some capacity moving forward.”
