Teenage snowboarder’s dad says pressure on athletes may have led to her death
Related Story: British snowboarder dies on her 18th birthday
One week after the death of British snowboarder Ellie Soutter, her father Tony has questioned whether the pressure put on young athletes could have led to his daughter's death.
Tony Soutter told the BBC his daughter, who died on her 18th birthday, had "felt she'd let [the team] down" after missing a flight to a training camp with the national team, and questioned whether that, combined with her history of mental health issues, was to blame.
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"She wanted to be the best. She didn't want to let anybody down," he said.
"Unfortunately it all came about from missing a flight which then meant she didn't go training with the GB squad.
"She felt she'd let them down, felt she'd let me down and, tragically, it just takes one silly little thing like that to tip someone over the edge, because there's a lot of pressure on children."
British Ski and Snowboard released a statement saying the "wellbeing of all athletes across every discipline is the primary concern of any sporting organisation", and commended the family for setting up the Ellie Soutter Foundation to help fund young winter athletes.
But Mr Soutter still feels more can be done.
"Mental health awareness needs to be really looked at and made more public," he said.
"I have lost my best friend, my total buddy. She was my rock.
"I've done nothing but live for her for the last 18 years and now I've got to start again really."
Soutter claimed Great Britain's only medal at the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Erzurum, Turkey last year when she won bronze in the snowboard cross.
She also carried the flag at the closing ceremony of the festival.
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