The skeleton may be the oldest competitive bobsleigh racing event in the world. Yet most of the beach sprinters and surf lifesavers invited to trials for Australia’s first female skeleton squad in October 2004 had never heard of it.

The sport, in which competitors hurtle head-first down an ice track at speeds of up to 120kph, is one of the Winter Olympics’ most daunting events but the skeleton is also one of the easiest sports in which to win a medal, according to David Martin.