Millfield were honoured to host double Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold OBE to inspire students.

Great Britain’s most successful Winter Olympian, Lizzy won her two Olympic gold medals in skeleton, coming out on top in Sochi in 2014, and then retaining her title four years later in PyeongChang.

Lizzy fielded questions from Millfield’s sporting captains in the school’s Wilson Pavilion, before speaking to coaching staff.

The former-Olympian spoke about trying her hand at every activity growing up, and only discovering her true passion at the age of 19 when she was selected to participate in skeleton as part of the ‘Girls for Gold’ talent ID programme. She gave a fascinating insight into her career, speaking to students about coping with the pressure to perform, outlining the sacrifices involved in becoming an elite athlete and encouraging students to have the confidence to be themselves. These values chime with the ethos of Millfield, seeking to uncover brilliance in every child by providing them with limitless opportunities to discover their individual passions and talents. Lizzy urged students to grasp these opportunities, and to never be afraid to try something new and unfamiliar.

In a Q&A session with staff, hosted by Millfield Director of Sport Dr Scott Drawer, Lizzy discussed the importance of creating a development environment, preparing students to cope with setbacks and how to communicate effectively with athletes who are under pressure.

Millfield is home to nearly 60 international youth representatives at any one time, with a number of students going on to compete at professional, Olympic or Paralympic level. Millfield have had a representative at every Olympic Games since 1968, while 13 Old Millfieldians competed at Tokyo 2020, the school’s largest number since 1988.