Skeleton is an exhilarating Winter Olympic sport in which athletes race head-first down an ice track at speeds reaching over 80 miles per hour (130km/h). While the event can look basic at first glance, success relies heavily on highly engineered equipment and extensive wind‑tunnel testing – much like elite Olympic track cycling programmes.

Each run begins with the athlete pushing a sled (also known as a “tea tray”) explosively off the starting block, then sprinting rapidly for about 30 metres downhill. After diving on the sled, they ride the rest of the course with their head just a few inches above the ice. The sleds have no brakes, and riders wear only a thin suit and helmet for protection.

A powerful start is considered the defining component of skeleton performance. So, developing a skeleton athlete’s strength and power while refining their pushing technique is a central focus in the lead-up to competitions. The biggest of all these, the Winter Olympics, is being held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, this month. Skeleton events start on February 12.

While Britain does not tend to rank highly in Winter Olympic sports, in skeleton it has won a world-best nine Olympic medals, including three golds. Over the past ten years, my colleagues and I at the University of Bath have worked with Team GB skeleton athletes to help improve their starts, using a form of “markerless” motion capture technology.

But the applications of this technology extend far beyond the Winter Olympics. There is potential for it to replace traditional motion capture systems in the film, TV and gaming industries, and to be used in injury rehabilitation.

How motion analysis began

The origins of motion analysis can be traced back to the pioneering work of English photographer Eadweard Muybridge in the late 19th century. Muybridge developed early techniques for capturing sequences of images, including documenting equine gait.

By manually annotating specific features across successive images, researchers have since been able to build a detailed picture of how a person or animal moves. But while this method was the standard for many decades, it was both time- and labour-intensive.

So, technological advances in cameras and computer processing led to the development of automated methods of motion analysis – notably, marker-based motion capture. This uses reflective markers placed on key parts of the body, which are automatically tracked by infra-red cameras as the person moves around.

In film, animation and gaming, this mean an actor’s body movements and facial expressions can be translated into to realistic CGI characters. Marker-based technology is currently the most widely used 3D motion analysis technique across the film, gaming and health sectors, with an estimated global market value of over US$300 million (£220 million).

However, this advanced technology has limitations too, including the need for specialist equipment, controlled laboratory environments, and lengthy preparation time to attach the markers. These can be problematic in sports and many other fields – particularly during live competitions and public performances.

As a result, the field of motion analysis has come almost full circle. Thanks to major advances in computer vision and artificial intelligence, biomechanists such like me are once again extracting detailed movement information directly from video images – but this time in an automated way.

The markerless motion capture systems we use rely on deep‑learning models that are trained on a huge number of images of people performing everyday activities. When applied to unseen images, the algorithms can then automatically detect the same body landmarks. By fusing multiple camera views, a simplified digital 3D skeleton can be extracted, from which the person’s movement across time can be modelled and analysed.

Analysing the optimum technique

Markerless motion capture makes it possible to unobtrusively measure athletes’ movements outside the lab, in training and even during competitions. Our recent research has demonstrated its value in many different sports, including badminton, tennis and Olympic weightlifting.

In skeleton, the unique, bent-over position at the start of each run, as the athlete sprints alongside the sled with one hand holding it, makes this form of biomechanical analysis particularly important.

Using markerless motion capture, we have explored the differing roles of an athlete’s limbs in the push-start performance, comparing these biomechanics with conventional sprinting. Importantly, we have also validated this markerless approach by comparing it with a traditional marker‑based system.

The optimum starting technique for each skeleton athlete is shaped by their physical characteristics, including factors such as relative limb lengths and flexibility. Analysing each athlete’s pushing technique, how it relates to their performance and how this evolves over time, can help give them a crucial competitive edge during this all-important first phase of each skeleton run.

Medals can be won and lost by hundredths of seconds as athletes sprint away from the starting block. In these first few seconds, we hope Britain’s athletes reap the benefit of our markerless motion capture technology.

This Morning presenter Alison Hammond has been on TV screens for almost 25 years – but many fans have no idea how she got her big break on Big Brother’s third season

She’s been on TV screens for nearly 25 years – but many fans have no idea how she got her big break. Alison Hammond shot to fame in 2002 after stepping into the Big Brother house for its third series – and subsequently became a household name on television.

The now-50-year-old has won over UK and international viewers with her vibrant personality and infectious laugh. Since entering the Big Brother house at just 26 years old, she has presented ITV’s This Morning, Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off alongside Noel Fielding, and ITV’s For the Love of Dogs.

But that’s not all, as she has also featured on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Coach Trip, Celebrity MasterChef, I Can See Your Voice, amongst numerous other programmes.

It wasn’t until her Big Brother audition tape resurfaced on social media that viewers began to recognise her “true colours”, with many praising her for “staying the same” despite the fame.

In the footage, a 26-year-old Alison discusses her passion for bandanas and her obsession with Vaseline before she enters the Big Brother house, laughing and beaming with delight.

She reshared the clip on Facebook with the caption: “Wow, this is where it all started! 23 years ago. My audition tape for Big Brother.”

Commenting on the video, one user said: “This is when I first saw Alison and have been a fan ever since. On another note, BB [Big Brother] when ordinary people entered… how things change.”

Another user chimed in: “The table absolutely made me howl! Loved you from then onwards. That’s when BB was good.”

A third user commented: “The best year for Big Brother, and everyone on that one did well for themselves.

“Glad to see you’ve not changed since before you entered the BB house – it just shows you’re not fake, but 100 per cent genuine and a lovely human being.”

Another user remarked: “One of the best people to enter Big Brother, and how you got voted out second is beyond me. You were a laugh from the second you got in there.

“That table incident, though – that was hilarious. I was pregnant with my first son then, and I laughed so hard my grandma told me to calm down. She didn’t want my waters breaking there and then.”

Sharing a personal memory, one more user revealed: “Still remember seeing you at sixth form with your bandana and shouting in the common room, and we both had John McDonough for English – best teacher ever.”

Another user recalled: “I remember you as the kids’ rep at a hotel in Tunisia! Then you turned up on BB!”.

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT The bull elephant charged at the man, who is in his 60s, grabbing him by its trunk and slamming him to the ground at the Khao Yai National Park

A wild bull elephant has killed a third tourist at a national park in Thailand this week, according to multiple news outlets.

The man, identified as Jirathachai Jiraphatboonyathorn from Muang district of Lop Buri, was exercising metres away from his camp at the Khao Yai National Park with his wife at about 5.30am on Monday February 2 when tragedy struck. He was attacked by the elephant, Agence France-Presse, the Bangkok Post and Khaosod English reported.

Jirathachai, who is in his 60s, encountered Phlai Oiwan, a bull elephant feeding outside his forest boundary. The elephant charged at the man, grabbing him by its trunk and slamming him to the ground and stomped on him according to the Post. He was examined by rescue workers and a doctor, who found that he suffered broken limbs and other injuries, the paper reported.

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Wanchai Kaenchantuek, the head of the Khao Yai 4 (Khlong Pla Kang) park protection unit, said he heard the elephant and cries for help. When he rushed to check, he found the victim and alerted the relevant officials, reported The Nation.

The horror attack took place as the other campers watched in horror. Jiraphatboonyathorn’s wife, who was with him at the time of the incident, managed to escape after rangers scared the creature away, national park official Chaiya Huayhongthong told AFP.

Chaiya Huayhongthong told AFP that the officials will meet on Friday to decide what to do with the animal. “We will probably decide to relocate him or change his behaviour,” he told the news agency. The forest officials have ordered an increase in patrolling and monitoring activity, as they urged the tourists to exercise caution.

He is the third reported victim to be killed by the same elephant, according to the reports, though Huayhongthong told AFP that the animal could have killed more people.

More than 220 people, including tourists, have been killed by wild elephants since 2012, Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said, the AFP reported.

Sir Robert Goodwill, owner of Mowthorpe Garden of Rest, near Terrington, said there has been no evidence of claims Middleton Hunt had been on the land last week.

Footage captured by national animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports appears to show the hunt’s hounds running through the Garden of Rest within the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The League has condemned the action of the hunt.

However Sir Robert, a former Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said if  this was the case, there was no sign that they have been in the cemetery.

He said: “None of the families that visit have mentioned it.  We do not ban dogs from the cemetery in any case.

“The hunt is very much part of rural life and am more than happy for them to use our land. I am sorry that I wasn’t around to view the wonderful spectacle of the riders and hounds.”

The League Against Cruel Sports chief executive, Emma Slawinksi, has criticised the hunt.

Emma added: “I would urge the public who are sick and tired of the behaviour of hunts to take part in the government’s hunting consultation.

“The time for change is now. We want to see trail hunting banned.”

Sky’s coverage of the downfall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria has won best news programme at the Broadcast Awards.

The hour-long special, fronted by lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim, aired in December 2024 following the sudden ousting of the dictator.

Featuring on-the-ground reporting and interviews from chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay and international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn, as well as analysis from Alistair Bunkall, Alex Rossi, and Ivor Bennett, the programme covered the aftermath of Assad’s toppling across prisons, hospital morgues, and his ransacked villa.

It was praised by judges for its outstanding storytelling and “commitment to painting a global picture”, including Assad’s role as a key ally of Vladimir Putin.

One judge praised the “strong, knowledgeable journalists who provided nuanced insights” throughout, while another commended its “excellent editorial clarity and insightful, even-handed journalistic analysis”.

Judges also cited how widely it was shared across social media, as well as praise from human rights organisations, Syrian refuges in the UK, and industry peers.

You can watch the programme in full at the top of this page.

MPs discussed making further changes to legislation

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued an update following queries about its data sharing practices with local authorities. The update came after policy advocates addressed the Work and Pensions Committee on potential reforms to the DWP benefits system, to ensure people receive the support they’re entitled to.

Fabian Chessell, central government lead at Policy in Practice, made the case for increased data sharing to improve “employment support” for claimants. He criticised the Government’s devolution bill, introduced in July 2025, for having nothing to say about data sharing.

The proposed legislation would empower mayors with new authorities and pave the way for Strategic Authorities in each English region, overseeing areas like housing, skills, and employment support. The bill is currently under scrutiny in the House of Lords.

Regarding the devolution plans, Mr Chessell said: “If we’re giving them power, we need to give them data.” He also highlighted existing laws that could be tweaked to boost data sharing.

Section 72 of the Welfare and Pensions Reform Act 1999 allows for the “exchange of information” between Government departments and employers concerning a person claiming working-age benefits. According to Mr Chessell, this legislation “creates the gateways for sharing employment data with councils today from DWP and HMRC” and could be amended to facilitate more data sharing.

He urged the committee: “Let’s do the simple thing. There’s a lot of complex questions in front of us, this isn’t one of those.” The DWP was approached for comment.

A spokesperson said: “Millions of people rely on our welfare system every year and it is vital that it can be accessed by all who need it. We already share income and earnings data with local authorities to help ensure people receive the Housing Benefit and council tax support they’re entitled to.

“We’re now exploring ways to expand this data sharing with Local Authorities and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, so they can better connect people with employment support.”

The DWP also said it makes regular efforts to promote awareness of available benefits through initiatives like the Help for Households campaign. If you think you could be missing out on benefits, the Government website offers a benefits calculator tool to check what benefits you may be eligible for.

Darrington Quarries Ltd has applied to North Yorkshire Council to extract sand and gravel from land near the village of Hensall.

The plan would see 90,000 tonnes extracted from the 20-hectare site every year for 14 years.

The site would then be turned back into use for agricultural and nature conservation.

The planning application was deferred by the council’s strategic planning committee at a meeting in December.

The decision was taken after hearing from local resident Richard Kendall, whose home lies next to the proposed quarry site.

He told the committee he did not oppose the application but asked for a number of measures to ensure the development did not affect his quality of life.

The pensioner asked for the proposed location of soil heaps to be moved away from the border with his property to reduce dust.

The resident also said he was worried the heap would block out sunlight.

The application will be considered again by the committee next week, when it is again recommended for approval.

A report for the meeting states that a five-metre-high mound of topsoil would be moved around 20 metres further into the site and away from Mr Kendall’s property.

The resident also asked the quarry owners for help to create a new access from his property onto the A645 by creating a dropped kerb.

But the council said this was not a material planning consideration and should not be given weight in the consideration of the application.

Although the quarry is a standalone site, council officers say it is effectively a continuation of the quarrying operations that are currently being restored at the nearby Hensall Quarry.