Martina Gilardoni, who announced her retirement from skeleton last year, has joined Swiss Sliding ©IBSF

Marina Gilardoni, a World Championship silver medallist, is to join Swiss Sliding as the head of its skeleton division, it has been announced. 

The 36-year-old from Goldingen will be in charge of encouraging skeleton athletes to perform at a high level.

Gilardoni retired last month after 14 years of competing.

The highlight of her career was finishing second in the skeleton at the 2020 International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation World Championships in Altenberg behind Germany's Tina Hermann.

Gilardoni's first IBSF competition was in January 2008, where she competed as a bobsleigh pusher having switched to the sport having originally started her sports career in athletics, competing in the heptathlon.

Marina Gilardoni's career included winning a silver medal at the IBSF World Championships in 2020 ©Getty Images
Marina Gilardoni's career included winning a silver medal at the IBSF World Championships in 2020 ©Getty Images

Gilardoni won gold medals in the two woman bob event at the 2008 and 2010 IBSF Junior World Championships.

In 2011, she made the switch to skeleton, where reached the World Cup podium five times and competed in two Olympic Games.

Gilardoni finished 14th at Sochi 2014 and 11th at Pyeongchang 2018. 

Her most successful season was the 2015-2016 campaign, where she claimed four podium finishes and ranked fifth in the overall standings.

In the European Championships, Gilardoni won a bronze medal at Königssee in 2016 and a silver at Sigulda in 2018.