Alex Coomber
Personal information
Birth nameAlexandra Andrea Hamilton
Full nameAlexandra Andrea Coomber
Born28 December 1973 (1973-12-28) (age 50)
Antwerpen, Belgium
Medal record
Women's skeleton
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Salt Lake City Women
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2001 Calgary Women

Alexandra Andrea Coomber (née Hamilton; born 28 December 1973) is a British skeleton racer who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She won the bronze medal in the women's skeleton event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City,[1] while competing with a broken wrist, having broken it in training 10 days prior to her race.[2][3]

Coomber, who married in 2000, holds many records for achievements in the field of skeleton, won the first British Championship she entered, and was unbeaten at all other British championships. She won the women's Skeleton World Cup title three years in a row (1999–2000, 2000–1, 2001–2),[4][5] a record listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Coomber is the only British athlete to have won three winter world cup series. During her career, she set track records at La Plagne, Lake Placid, and Nagano. She had been an Intelligence Officer of the Royal Air Force,[6] and retired from competing in the skeleton in order to return to her previous profession.[7] Coomber previously studied at Hertford College, Oxford.[8]

Coomber also won a silver medal in the women's skeleton event at the 2001 FIBT World Championships in Calgary.

References

  1. ^ "Skeleton Olympic Games". Sports 123. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  2. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Alex Coomber". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  3. ^ "Alex Coomber". Team Bath. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  4. ^ Chadband, Ian (14 February 2014). "Lizzy Yarnold wins women's skeleton at 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics to claim Great Britain's first gold medal". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Roll of honour". British Skeleton. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  6. ^ Mackay, Duncan (5 February 2002). "Skeleton holds no fear for ice-cold Alex". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  7. ^ "Coomber cherishes medal moment". BBC. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  8. ^ "Oxonian Olympians". University of Oxford. Retrieved 27 April 2014.

External links

World Cup champions in women's skeleton
Categories