Whirlwind weeks for Weston
Life has been a whirlwind for Matt Weston since winning double Olympic gold in Cortina last month but the 29-year-old admits he’s loving every minute of it.
Weston made history on the biggest stage of all as he won both the men’s skeleton and the mixed team event with Tabby Stoecker over a crazy few days in the Dolomites.
The reigning World Champion and back-to-back Overall World Cup winner became the country’s first male Olympic Winter gold medalist in an individual event for nearly half a century, before becoming the first Brit to win two golds at the same Games 48 hours later.
Multiple media commitments followed over the remainder of the Olympics and those requests have hardly slowed down since Weston arrived back on British soil.
Throw in numerous invitations to appear at events and a host of incredible opportunities to meet new people and visit new places and it’s clear that life is definitely a little different to what it was just a month ago.
“The last few weeks have been crazy, especially immediately after the races in Cortina and then when I first got back to the UK,” said Weston.
“It was almost overwhelming, to be honest. We compete in a sport that's relatively unknown normally so to have this much exposure and media attention post Olympics has been something I’ve definitely needed to get used to.
“Having people recognise me when I’m walking through town, and having people come up to me to say ‘congratulations’, is pretty crazy, and I don't think I'll ever really get my head around that!
“I’m loving it though, and I certainly wouldn’t swap it. I’ve been amazed at how many people want to chat and to tell me they watched us race. It’s been pretty incredible and I’m grateful to everyone who’s shown an interest or stopped to say ‘well done’.”
Matt Weston is a man in demand following his Olympic success
The sheer volume of commitments and opportunities means the magnitude of his achievements haven’t even sunk in yet for Weston.
He knows that what he did in Italy was pretty spectacular but, despite friends, family, team mates and complete strangers telling him that, it still hasn’t hit home.
“Because I've been so busy, I haven't really been able to sit down and reflect on what happened at the Olympics. I’ve not really taken it all in,” added Weston.
“I’ve been showing people the medals and talking to so many people in the media and in person and I think it's probably sunk in a lot more for the people around me rather than me, which is very weird!
“I’ve been able to do some amazing things since coming back. I've been to quite a few of the Six Nations games and been to England training to speak to the team. I've met some amazing people, including a lot of the rugby stars. I've met Prince William and Katherine Jenkins, and then I had a meal with Katherine for Saint David's Day after I met her on The One Show.
“I’m still keeping busy, still taking the opportunities that are presenting themselves and still trying to make the most of everything that’s coming my way.
“I’m sure it will sink in once things quieten down but I’m not really in any rush for that to happen.”