Tristan Gale won the first Olympic women's skeleton gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Gale represented the United States and became the inaugural women's Olympic skeleton champion when the sport returned to the Winter Games. She finished ahead of teammate Lea Ann Parsley, giving the United States a one-two finish in the event's debut.
Skeleton had appeared at the 1928 and 1948 Winter Olympics but was then absent for more than five decades. Its return in 2002 included both men's and women's competitions, staged on the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track in Park City.
In skeleton, competitors launch head-first while lying prone on a small sled. The athletes steer by subtle movements of their shoulders, knees and body. Gale's victory therefore marked both a personal triumph and a new chapter for women's sliding sports at the Olympics.