Dominic Edward Parsons (born 8 September 1987) is a British former

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...

racer. He won a bronze medal at the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

Pyeongchang Pyeongchang ( , ; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seo ...

, South Korea, and also competed at the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, Russia. He retired from the sport at the end of 2019.

Career

Parsons began as a runner for Blackheath and Bromley Harriers Athletic Club, running the 400m. He switched to

in 2007 after being introduced to the sport by

Adam Pengilly Adam Laird Pengilly (born 14 October 1977) is a Great Britain, British skeleton (sport), skeleton racer who has competed since 2004. He won a silver medal in men's skeleton event at the FIBT World Championships 2009 in Lake Placid, New York, La ...

at the Bath bobsleigh and skeleton push-start track. He made his Europa Cup debut in 2008, and finished fourth at the 2009 and 2010 IBSF Junior Skeleton World Championships. Parsons made his

Skeleton World Cup The Skeleton World Cup season is a yearly competition first organized by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) is the international sports federation for the sliding sports ...

debut in December 2012, finishing 17th in a race at

La Plagne La Plagne () is a French ski area in the Alps, alpine valley of the Tarentaise Valley, Tarentaise (Savoie). Since 2003, La Plagne and the neighbouring resort of Les Arcs form the Paradiski ski area. It is currently owned by Compagnie des Alpes. ...

in France. In 2013, Parsons won a bronze medal at a World Cup event in

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

, Canada. Parsons competed at the

, Russia, finishing tenth. Parsons finished fifth overall in the 2014–15 and

2015–16 Skeleton World Cup The 2015–16 Skeleton World Cup was a multi-race tournament over a season for skeleton. The season started on 27 November 2015 in Altenberg, Germany, and ended on 28 February 2016 in Königssee, Germany. The World Cup was organised by the IBSF ( ...

s, and tenth overall in the

2016–17 Skeleton World Cup The 2016–17 Skeleton World Cup was a multi-race series over a season for skeleton. The season started on 2 December 2016 in Whistler, Canada and ended on 17 March 2017 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The World Cup was organised by the IBSF (former ...

. In January 2018, Parsons finished fourth at the World Cup event in

St. Moritz St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...

, Switzerland. He achieved three consecutive top ten finishes in the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

between the 2014 and 2018 Olympics, finishing seventh in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, tenth in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and eighth in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. At the

, South Korea, Parsons came first in the second practice run. His sled was specifically designed for the Pyeongchang track. He later won a bronze medal in the men's skeleton event. His medal was Great Britain's first at the Games, and the first for a British male in skeleton since John Crammond at the

1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as St. Moritz 1948 (; ), were a winter multi-sport event held from 30 January to 8 February 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the ...

. Parsons' starting speed has been hampered by an ankle injury on the way to a dentist's appointment, which required ligament reconstruction surgery. On 28 December 2019, the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association announced that Parsons was retiring from competition, after starting the season's first two races in Lake Placid, and that teammate Jerry Rice will take his place on the World Cup roster.

Personal life

Parsons is currently studying for a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

at the

University of Bath The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University ...

, researching combustion in turbo-diesel engines. Parsons and

Kristan Bromley Kristan Bromley (born 7 March 1972) is a retired British skeleton racer who has competed since 1996. He won the gold medal in the men's event at the 2008 FIBT World Championships in Altenberg, Germany. This was Great Britain's first gold meda ...

own a company which produces sleds. Parsons is in a relationship with Australian skeleton racer

Jaclyn Narracott Jaclyn Narracott (born 5 November 1990) is an Australian skeleton racer who competes on the Skeleton World Cup circuit. She began international skeleton competition in 2012 when she joined the Australian national team; in 2011 she competed i ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Dominic 1987 births Skeleton racers at the 2014 Winter Olympics Skeleton racers at the 2018 Winter Olympics Living people Olympic skeleton racers for Great Britain English male skeleton racers Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics Olympic medalists in skeleton Sportspeople from London Alumni of the University of Bath Team Bath winter athletes 20th-century British sportsmen 21st-century English sportsmen