With less than 100 days until the 2018 Winter Olympics get underway in PyeongChang Jack Wynne decided to pick out five athletes for Great Britain you need to take note of.
Lizzy Yarnold
After claiming skeleton gold during the 2014 Sochi Games Lizzy Yarnold will be keen to make history by becoming the first British athlete to defend a Winter Olympic title.
The 29-year-old claimed the first gold for Great Britain in Russia, comfortably beating the American Noelle Pikus-Pace, who finished 0.97 seconds behind.
Yarnold, who grew up in Kent, will be looking to improve on her bronze medal at this year’s World Championships and replicate the form which saw her become European and World Champion in the same month back in 2015.
Elise Christie
Keen to establish her reputation at Olympic level short track speed skater Elise Christie has a good chance of securing medals in both the 500 and 1000m events.
In Sochi, the Scottish athlete failed to take home a medal in any of the three races she competed in due to a series of disqualifications.
If Christie, who has enjoyed huge success at previous European and World Championships, can fend off tough competition from South Korea, she has a good chance of becoming the first Briton to win multiple medals at one Winter Games.
James Wood
A hip injury a month before the Sochi Games seriously dented freestyle skier James Woods’ chances of earning a place on the medal podium – he finished fifth in the ski slopestyle event.
The Yorkshireman, who claimed a bronze medal at this year’s Freestyle World Ski Championships in Spain, will be looking to add Olympic success to his CV.
Isabel Atkin is another freestyle skier alongside Woods who also has a strong chance of winning a medal. If the pair are victorious they will become the first British athletes on skis to secure Olympic success.
Dave Ryding
Lancashire’s Dave Ryding might have been overlooked as a potential medal prospect in PyeongChang but a slalom silver at this year’s skiing World Cup has made his fellow challengers sit up and take note.
Although he was beaten by Austrian and home favourite Marcel Hirscher to first place the podium was Britain’s best ever alpine World Cup result, since Konrad Bartelski’s second-place finish back in 1981.
If the 30-year-old does go on and cause a surprise in North Korea next year it will be the best performance of his career after failing to achieve success during the past two Olympics and four World Championships.
Katie Ormerod
Although Katie Ormerod is another Brit that is yet to win an Olympic medal she has enjoyed a strong season so far, winning the World Cup big air title last year.
The Brighouse-born athlete, who has been involved in alpine sports since the age of 3, will be keen to continue the momentum which has seen her also emerge victorious during the German and South Korean Big Air events.
If Ormerod secures her place on the podium it will be the second successive Winter Olympics that a British woman has won a medal after Jenny Jones’ bronze in the slopestyle event.
