Eve Muirhead, Team GB's chef de mission for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, has boldly predicted that the 53-strong British squad will outperform expectations and potentially secure up to eight medals. Historically, Great Britain has rarely made an impact at the Winter Games, with only 12 medals from 1952 to 2010. However, after a surge in 2014 and 2018 with five medals each, and a dip to two in Beijing, Muirhead believes the current team can 'disrupt the norm'.
UK Sport has invested £25.5m in winter sports for the 2022-26 cycle and set a target of four to eight medals. Muirhead, who led the women's curling team to gold in 2022, is aiming for the top end of that range. 'I see a set of athletes with a real pedigree in terms of recent results on the winter circuit,' she said. 'While we punch above our weight given the lack of snow and ice, this team has the potential to disrupt the natural order of big winter nations.'
Recent successes back her optimism: Mia Brookes, Kirsty Muir and Zoe Atkin all won X Games titles, and Charlotte Bankes claimed her first World Cup race since a collarbone injury. In men's skeleton, Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt have swept all seven World Cup races this season. British curling teams are also among favourites for medals.
Technological innovations are also playing a key role. A flight simulator at the University of Bath has been adapted to replicate any skeleton track, giving athletes extra practice. New aerodynamic helmets and tech skinsuits to reduce drag are being used, though approval for the helmets is pending. 'We try to push the boundaries and find those gains,' said Weston.
However, the unknown factor is what rival nations, particularly Germany with its multi-million-pound research programme, might unveil. UK Sport's Kate Baker noted, 'I wouldn't call it an arms race, but definitely an expertise race.' Athletes like Brookes acknowledge the pressure: 'You know the whole world’s going to be watching, and that definitely adds more pressure.' Muirhead summed up the stakes: 'A wrong edge could be it over. It comes down to millimetres, milliseconds.'
