Park City, Utah Olympic Park, 20 February 2002 Tristan GALE of the USA competes in the women's skeleton during the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games. Credit: Getty Images/ Shaun Botterill

Other names: TRISTAN GALE, T. Gale

Born: 10 August 1980

Birthplace: Ruidoso, New Mexico

Nationality: United-States

Sport: Bobsleigh

ATTENDANCE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Salt Lake City 2002

AWARDS

Olympic medals:

Gold: 1

Other results:

World Championships

Bronze: 1 (03)

First Women's Skeleton Champion

Women's skeleton was introduced to the Olympic program in 2002. It seemed normal that the first champion should be a relative newcomer to the sport. Tristan Gale, a resident of Salt Lake City, learned about skeleton at a bobsleigh tryout. The 2001-2002 season was her first year on the World Cup circuit. Before the Olympics, Gale had never placed higher than eighth in a World Cup event. However, competing at home at the Salt Lake City Winter Games, she recorded the fastest time of the first run and then extended her lead in the second run to beat teammate Lea Ann Parsley by one tenth of a second.