Clifton, Baron Wrottesley

As the name would suggest, Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdon Wrottesley was of aristocratic lineage. His background was as colourful as the name suggested. His father, a former racer on the Cresta Run, had a reputation as a playboy and eloped to Las Vegas to marry his mother when she was just 18. The family settled in Ireland, where Clifton was born, but mother and son later moved to Spain after the death of his father in a car accident when he was just 2-years-old. He inherited the title of 6th Baron Wrottesley on the death of his grandfather in 1977. Wrottesley was educated at Eton School, Edinburgh University and Sandhurst Military Academy and spent 2 years in the British Army before becoming a stockbroker in the City of London.

Baron Wrottesley began sliding on the Cresta Run in 1988 and became the most successful slider in the history of the track having the record number of victories in each of the St. Moritz track’s 4 classic races. Prior to the reinstatement of skeleton as an Olympic event in 2002 he joined the FIBT World Cup circuit in 2000 and competed for the next two seasons without getting close to a podium finish.

The Park City track used for the 2002 Olympics seemed to suit his style of sliding as, to general surprise, he stood in the bronze medal position after the first of the two runs. A poor start to his 2nd run wrecked his medal chances though he remained in 4th position which was easily the best ever finish by an Irish Winter Games competitor. Although Baron Wrottesley continued to compete on the Cresta Race the 2002 Olympics marked the end of his career at the top level of the sport and he returned to the business of property and vintage wine.

The Baron served as chef de mission for the Irish team at the 2006 Winter Games but later switched countries to become chairman of British Skeleton. He married a daughter of the billionaire Swiss financier Urs Schwarzenbach.