Callum Skinner

{{Infobox cyclist

| name = Callum Skinner

| image = 2017 UEC Track Elite European Championships 274.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Skinner (2017)

| fullname =

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|08|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Glasgow, Scotland

| height = 1.87 m

| weight = 93 kg

| currentteam =

| discipline = Track

| role = Rider

| ridertype = Sprinter

| amateuryears1 =

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| majorwins =

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}}

{{MedalCountry|{{SCO}}}}

}}

Callum Skinner (born 20 August 1992) is a British former track cyclist. He won the silver medal in the individual sprint at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and was a member of the British team that won gold in the team sprint.

Early life

Skinner was born to mother Judith and father Scott, the elder of two boys with a younger brother, Roy in Glasgow, Scotland. He moved to Bruntsfield, Edinburgh at the age of 12 and attended James Gillespie's High School. His academic career was hampered by dyslexia.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/54993214 |title=Callum Skinner: How the Scot's obsessive pursuit of greatness almost broke him |last=English |first=Tom |date=24 November 2020 |website=bbc.co.uk |access-date=25 November 2020}} He took up cycling in 2004, inspired by Chris Hoy's success in the sport at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.{{cite web|url=http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/our-region/edinburgh/callum-skinner-from-racing-at-meadowbank-to-olympic-glory-1-4202081 |title=Callum Skinner: From racing at Meadowbank to Olympic glory |work= Edinburgh Evening News |date=13 August 2016 |access-date=15 August 2016}}

In 2008 he was national youth champion and broke Hoy's British 200{{nbsp}}m record for his age group. Later that year he was the inaugural winner of the Chris Hoy Trophy, an award presented to Edinburgh's most promising young track cyclist,{{cite web |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/chris-hoy-velodrome-threat-will-make-trophy-meaningless-1-1257261 |title=Chris Hoy: Velodrome threat will make trophy meaningless |work=The Scotsman |date=23 April 2008 |access-date=15 August 2016}} and received the award from Hoy himself.

Career

In 2010 Skinner joined British Cycling's Senior Academy.{{cite web |url=https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam/new/bio/Callum_Skinner |title=Callum Skinner |author= |website=British Cycling |access-date=7 March 2019}} Skinner competed representing Scotland in the team sprint at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, finishing fourth.{{cite web|first=Susan |last=Swarbrick |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/13170843.Cycling__Callum_Skinner_gets_a_second_bite_at_the_cherry/ |title=Cycling: Callum Skinner gets a second bite at the cherry|work=Herald Scotland|date=20 July 2014 |access-date=15 August 2016}} The following year he took two medals at the Under-23 European Track Championships, winning a bronze in the individual sprint and a silver in the team sprint alongside Peter Mitchell and Philip Hindes. He did not get the opportunity to compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London due to a lump in his neck in late 2011 which doctors initially thought was lymphoma. Biopsies later proved that the lump was not cancerous but the scare had caused him to take time away from the sport.{{cite web|first=Susan |last=Swarbrick|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/fashion/latest/13152828.Fashion__cyclist_Callum_Skinner_and_wheelchair_racer_Samantha_Kinghorn/ |title=Fashion: cyclist Callum Skinner and wheelchair racer Samantha Kinghorn|work=Herald Scotland|date=29 March 2014 |access-date=15 August 2016}}{{cite web|first=Helen |last=Pidd|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/14/jason-kenny-callum-skinner-battle-individual-sprint-cycling-gold-great-britain |title=Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner to battle for individual sprint cycling gold |work=The Guardian |date=14 August 2016 |access-date=15 August 2016}} He was subsequently promoted to the British Cycling Olympic Podium Programme in 2013.

In January 2014 he won his first World Cup medal, placing third in the team sprint in Guadalajara, and once again represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games.{{cite web|title=Callum Skinner|url=http://g2014results.thecgf.com/athlete/cycling_road/1032214/callum_skinner.html|website=Glasgow 2014|access-date=15 August 2016|archive-date=30 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330020438/http://g2014results.thecgf.com/athlete/cycling_road/1032214/callum_skinner.html|url-status=dead}} He came to prominence at the 2014 British National Track Championships, winning a clean sweep of four national sprint titles.{{cite news|last=Rentton|first=Colin|url=http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/callum-skinner-strikes-gold-in-manchester-1-3553934|title=Callum Skinner strikes gold in Manchester|work=Edinburgh Evening News|date=27 September 2014}} In October 2014, he became European champion in the 1 km time trial.{{cite news|title=European Track Championships: Tennant & Skinner win golds|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/29680234|website=BBC Sport|date=19 October 2014|access-date=15 August 2016}}

In January 2016 Skinner was a member of the team that won the overall title for the men's team sprint at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Hong Kong.{{cite web|url=http://www.uci.ch/track/news/article/uci-track-cycling-world-cup-performances-full-promise/ |title=UCI Track Cycling World Cup: performances full of promise |publisher=Union Cycliste Internationale |date=17 January 2016 |access-date=15 August 2016}} In March he finished eighth in the individual sprint in the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in London.{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/racing/olympics/who-is-callum-skinner-274657 |title=Who is Callum Skinner, Britain's new star sprinter? |work=Cycling Weekly |date=14 August 2016 |access-date=15 August 2016}}

At the 2016 Summer Olympics he was part of the team that won gold in the men's team sprint along with Philip Hindes and Jason Kenny, setting an Olympic record of 42.440 in the final against New Zealand.{{cite web|title=Rio Olympics 2016: Great Britain win third straight team sprint gold|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/37052917|website=BBC Sport|access-date=17 August 2016|date=11 August 2016}} He won the silver medal in the men's individual sprint, beating Matthew Glaetzer 2–0 in the semi-final but he was beaten 2–0 by defending champion Kenny in an all-British final.{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36689350 | title=Rio Olympics 2016: Jason Kenny beats Callum Skinner to win back-to-back Olympic titles | work=BBC Sport | date=14 August 2016 | access-date=14 August 2016}}

In a 2020 interview, Skinner stated that his mental health declined after the 2016 Olympics, culminating in what he described as a "mental breakdown" during the 2018 Commonwealth Games after he was disqualified from the keirin, although he did go on to take a medal in the kilometer time trial. He said that in 2019 he disclosed his mental health issues to a senior person at British Cycling, but that the official in question refused his request for time off to recover: he reflected that "that conversation finished me as a cyclist".

In February 2019 it was announced that Skinner had been appointed to the position of Lead Athlete with Global Athlete, a self-described "athlete-led movement for change" aiming to advance the interests of sportspeople: in this role he would be responsible for recruiting other athletes to the organisation.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/47225647 |title=Global Athlete: new body launched 'to give athletes a voice' |last=Roan |first=Dan |author-link=Dan Roan|date=14 February 2019 |website=bbc.co.uk |access-date=7 March 2019}} The following month he announced his retirement from competition in order to focus on advocating improvements in sportspeople's rights and working conditions. He also supports equality for LGBTQ athletes:{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/47483507 |title=Callum Skinner: Olympic champion announces retirement from cycling |author= |date=7 March 2019 |website=bbc.co.uk|access-date=7 March 2019}} both his father and brother are gay.

Major results

;2011

: UEC European Track Championships (under-23 & junior)

:: 2nd 15px Team sprint (with Peter Mitchell and Philip Hindes)

:: 3rd 15px Sprint

;2014

: 1st 20px Kilo, UEC European Track Championships

: National Track Championships

::1st 20px Kilo

::1st 20px Keirin

::1st 20px Sprint

::1st 20px Team Sprint (with Philip Hindes & Jason Kenny)

: 2013–2014 Track Cycling World Cup

::3rd Team Sprint, Round 3

:2014–15 Track Cycling World Cup

::1st Team sprint (with Philip Hindes and Jason Kenny), Round 1{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/29975471 |title=Track Cycling World Cup: Laura Trott in GB team to win gold |author= |date=9 November 2014 |website=BBC Sport |access-date=10 November 2014}}

;2016

: Olympic Games

::1st File:Gold medal olympic.svg Team sprint

::2nd File:Silver medal olympic.svg Sprint

: 2015–16 Track Cycling World Cup

::1st Team sprint (with Philip Hindes and Jason Kenny), Round 4

;2017

:2017–18 Track Cycling World Cup

::2nd Team sprint (with Jack Carlin and Philip Hindes), Round 3

::3rd 1km time trial, Round 2

;2018

: 3rd 15px 1km time trial, Commonwealth Games

References

External links

{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225081126/http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam/bio/63 |title=Callum Skinner at British Cycling |date=dmy}}
{{CycleBase}}
{{Team GB}}
{{Team Scotland|callum-skinner}}
{{Olympics.com}}
{{Olympedia}}
{{2010 Commonwealth Games profile|796530}}
{{2014 Commonwealth Games profile}}
{{2018 Commonwealth Games profile|cycling-track/athlete-profile-n6025007-callum-skinner}}