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.

What does it take to compete at the Winter Olympics nine months after having a stroke? For Ski Cross athlete Sami Kennedy Sim, it took consistent hard work, determination and unwavering belief that she would regain her strength and fitness in spite of experts telling her it wasn’t possible.

Sami grew up learning to ski in the NSW Snowy Mountains. She transitioned from alpine skiing to Ski Cross when she was 19 before competing at the 2014 Sochi Games and the 2018 PyeongChang Games. In between the two Games, and still in her early 20’s, Sami suffered a stroke which forced her off the snow for months.

In this episode, Sami joins host Sam Squiers from Canada, to discuss the challenges of being a winter athlete in the sunburnt country, the reality of chasing winter around the world, how a routine procedure on her knee triggered a stroke and her preparation for the 2022 Beijing Games.