Nice Britain will take a squad of fifty athletes to the Winter Olympics in Beijing subsequent month after speed-skater Ellia Smeding was confirmed as the ultimate member of the crew on Monday.
The crew, that includes three returning medallists in Izzy Atkin, Laura Deas and Eve Muirhead is Britain’s smallest for a Winter Video games since 2010 in Vancouver, when Amy Williams gained the one medal in ladies’s skeleton.
The 23-year-old Smeding, whose boyfriend Cornelius Kersten can be within the crew, is the primary British long-track speed-skater to qualify for a Video games since Kim Ferran and Mandy Horsepool in 1980.
Smeding mentioned: “Being a part of Crew GB in Beijing is an absolute dream come true. This season has gone rather well up to now and I’m hoping to place my greatest races down on the Video games.
“I’m so excited to share this expertise with Cornelius and to have two lengthy observe pace skaters on the Olympic Winter Video games will hopefully encourage a future technology of skaters.”
Hopes are excessive that the crew will at the very least emulate the five-medal haul from every of the earlier two Winter Olympics, particularly in mild of Dave Ryding’s historic win on this weekend’s World Cup slalom in Kitzbuhel.
Blended curling duo Bruce Mouat and Jennifer Dodds, and snowboard-cross racer Charlotte Bankes, go into the Video games as defending world champions, whereas hopes are excessive for the likes of Katie Ormerod and Kirsty Muir.
Crew GB Chef de Mission Georgina Harland mentioned: “We’re delighted to welcome the 50 athletes who will make up the crew at Beijing 2022 and really feel these athletes have the chance to not solely problem established winter nations however compete with the success we loved at each Sochi and Pyeongchang.
“That is an thrilling new chapter for British winter sport with quite a few new names for the British public to take pleasure in and get behind and, with athletes who’ve skilled 4 Olympic Winter Video games, they may undoubtedly be a fantastic help to the rising expertise.”
