NOT too many had heard of skeleton racing until the sport was introduced to the Winter Olympics in 2002, but today talented Isle of Wight athlete Kimberley Murray is aiming to make the GB team for the next one in 2022 — and win gold.

This past season has been a mixed one for Kim who just missed out on selection for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang and had, as she put it, “up and down” results on the Intercontinental Cup circuit (ICC) this season.

The ICC, a step up from the Europa circuit of last year, involved Kim racing at some of the world’s most famous ice tracks — St Moritz, Switzerland, and Altenberg, Germany, together with Canadian venues Calgary and the notorious Whistler, the world’s fastest track.

Kim, who qualified for the ICC by coming fourth in a selection race in Lillehammer, Norway, finished ninth in the ICC from a field of 36 — despite being two races down, through injury, on six of the eight above her in the final standings.

The 29 year old, who moved back to the Island, where she grew up, said her two weeks at Whistler were her toughest on a sled, but the switch to Calgary reaped her best results of the season, a second and fourth — beating established Canadians.

Her results meant she met the British criteria for World Cup qualification — the highest race circuit in skeleton.

“It was a massive comeback and helped to restore my confidence. I surprised everyone, including myself,” she said.

Following further successes on the Europa circuit, with a second and fourth in La Plagne, France, Kim finished with disappointments in St Moritiz and Altenberg to finish her ICC season.

However, Kim is optimistic about achieving an ICC top three finish.

“I have developed massively as a slider and my push has improved significantly — consistently competitive with the fastest women in a race,” said Kim, who is supported by the Isle of Wight Council’s talented athletes scheme.

“I now have a few weeks off before pre-season training with the squad begins in May, at Bath University, to work on my physical development for the push.

“This marks the beginning of the Beijing Olympic cycle and I’m confident I have the best team to help me achieve a place on Team GB in four years’ time.

“The standard has been set and it’s time to put in the hard work and chase it. My dream is to win a gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

“I hope to race in the World Cup next season and this will mean placing top three minimum in the GB selection race and to race at my first World Championships, which means going back and conquering Whistler!”