1. Sliding first

Dom Parsons first slid on a skeleton track in Norway in 2007
Dom Parsons first slid on a skeleton track in Norway in 2007 (Mike Egerton/PA Images)

Parsons first slid down a skeleton track in Lillehammer, Norway, the venue for the 1994 Winter Olympics. That came after Adam Pengilly enticed him to the push-start track at the University of Bath. Pengilly is a former skeleton athlete turned International Olympic Committee who left the Games on Thursday following an altercation with a security guard, for which he apologised.

2. Team Bromley

He works with Kristan Bromley, the former British number one and husband of Olympic silver medallist Shelley Rudman. Bromley designs sleds and their components and made one specifically for Parsons to tackle the Pyeongchang track.

3. Team Blackheath and Bromley

Parsons was a 400 metres runner before he turned to skeleton at the University of Bath. His 400m best is 50.51, according to the Power of 10 website which acts as a database for British athletes.

4. Wizardry

Known as ‘The Wizard’ in skeleton circles, Parsons is combining skeleton with a PhD in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Bath. His focus is on automotive engineering, specifically in “vehicle powertrains”, or turbo-charged engines.

5. Need for speed

Formula One racer Ayrton Senna is Dom Parsons' hero
Formula One racer Ayrton Senna is Dom Parsons’ hero (David Jones/PA Images)

Parsons’ academic and sporting interests stem from a love of Formula One. His hero is former F1 driver Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian who died at Imola in May 1994.