UK Sport eyeing record Winter Olympics medal haul

UK Sport believes Team GB could win a record-breaking eight medals at next month’s Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

The funding body hopes athletes will deliver between four and eight medals at the Games which are being held in Italy from 6-22 February.

The current record of five was achieved at Sochi 2014 and matched in Pyeongchang four years later.

For the Winter Paralympics, which follow in March, UK Sport has set an ambition of two to five medals.

The ParalympicsGB squad won six medals in Beijing four years ago.

UK Sport said the medal range of four to eight reflected Team GB’s athletes “being more competitive in more sports at a winter games than ever before”.

Medal hopes for the Olympics – which run from 6-22 February – include two-time skeleton world champion Matt Weston, while snowboarder Mia Brookes and freestyle skiers Kirsty Muir and Zoe Atkin could win Great Britain’s first Olympic gold or silver medal on snow.

Chef de mission Eve Muirhead, who won curling gold in 2022, said preparations had been “meticulous” with a “focus on creating the conditions that allow athletes to deliver when it matters most”.

“The potential within this team is exceptionally high, and while we don’t always benefit from the same ease of access to snow and ice as some of our rivals, when I look at the class of 2026, I see a real opportunity to challenge the status quo,” she added.

The medal range for the Winter Paralympics, which are set to run between 6-15 March, is lower than Beijing 2022 because of “challenges throughout the cycle with injury and international competition opportunities”.

Last month, Menna Fitzpatrick, Britain’s most decorated Winter Paralympian with six medals, suffered a serious knee injury in training, but is undergoing treatment in a bid to compete.

The GB team is still expected to be “competitive” for medals “across a wide range of disciplines”, with Phil Smith, ParalympicsGB chef de mission, adding he was “confident we have a plan in place to give each and every athlete the best possible chance to deliver incredible performances”.

Funded through the National Lottery and government, UK Sport has invested more than £32.5m across the current four-year cycle for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, with the “ambition for the UK to become an ever-greater force” in winter sports.