RAF skeleton's Nicole Burger's 'pride' at representing South Africa at Winter Olympics

Royal Air Force skeleton athlete Flight Lieutenant Nicole Burger says that there is "so much pride" as she prepares to make her debut representing South Africa at the Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games this week.

Flt Lt Burger will also make history when she makes her first competitive run on the Cortina sliding track – where she will become the first South African woman to compete in skeleton at the Olympics. 

Speaking to BFBS Sport, Flt Lt Burger said: "Being the first female skeleton athlete for South Africa in general, let alone the first medal winner for South Africa in a sliding sport, and then obviously now going to the Olympics as well, it's crazy.

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"There's so much pride as well in representing my home birth nation with, like, walking around the [Olympic] village with the South Africa jacket on and everyone's like 'oh, South Africa, whoa, we didn't know you were here, we didn't even know you had winter athletes'.

"So, to actually be promoting and trying to build something for the nation, it's fantastic."

Born in Cape Town, Burger moved to the UK as a small child, and tried her hand at getting to the top flight of sports such as athletics, horse riding and rugby.

But with a burning desire to represent her birth nation internationally, she took up skeleton at an RAF novice camp and was soon competing on the international stage in December 2023. 

Flt Lt Burger credits the RAF's support throughout her journey to realise her Olympic dream.

"The beauty of, I think, military sport in general, is they can take you from absolute beginner, all the way up, and they support you the whole way, they give you those opportunities.

"So, I obviously had about five weeks on ice before I did my first international race, and all those five weeks were through the RAF, or inter service sliding.

"They take you from absolute beginner, never seen a sled, not even knowing really what the sport is, all the way up, and they've supported me the whole way through and they still are."

Earlier in the season, Flt Lt Burger became the first South African to win a sliding medal, winning an impressive medal haul, including a gold, at the North American Cup. 

She will compete in the women's skeleton events on the 13 and 14 February.