Winter Olympics: Five UK medal hopes for Pyeongchang


Press Association Sport takes a look at how Great Britain might achieve their lofty medals target in the Winter Olympics.

Great Britain must target a minimum of four medals at next month's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Elite funding body UK Sport has set its medal range at between four and 10, with a specific target of "at least five" - which could make it the nation's best ever.

Great Britain won four medals at both the inaugural Chamonix Winter Games in 1924, and at Sochi 2014, although the latter could increase to five subject to ratification of Russian bobsleigh disqualifications.

Here Press Association Sport takes a look at how the ambitious medal haul could happen:

ELISE CHRISTIE

Short-track star Christie could achieve over half of Great Britain's medal target single-handedly. After a stunning triple gold medal triumph at the World Championships in Rotterdam last year, the 27-year-old is in a good place to make up for her disqualification nightmare in Sochi 2014 as she competes in three disciplines - but will have to beat a strong South Korean contingent to do so.

LAURA DEAS

While the form of defending champion Lizzy Yarnold gives cause for concern, skeleton team-mate Laura Deas has quietly gone about her business, with a series of consistent performances on the World Cup circuit currently ranking her fifth overall and suggesting she may be best-placed to maintain the run of consecutive skeleton medals won by British women into a fifth consecutive Games.

KATIE ORMEROD

The Brighouse snowboard star announced herself on the big stage when she won the Big Air World Cup in Russia last year. Ormerod, who already has a series of history-making moves to her name, is one of the leading names in the dramatic new Olympic discipline, and has also secured World Cup podiums in the snowboard slopestyle discipline, suggesting a two-medal haul is not out of the question.

DAVE RYDING

Ryding's remarkable rise from the windswept dry slopes of Pendle to World Cup contention has continued apace this season. The slalom star became only the second British man to win an alpine World Cup medal with silver in Kitzbuhel last year, and almost went one better at the season-opener in Levi in November when he led by over half a second on the second run before missing a gate.

ANDREW MUSGRAVE

Musgrave's unlikely exploits in World Cup cross-country have made him a big name in Norway and made him a good outside bet to challenge for a medal in Pyeongchang. Having grown in consistency since his Olympic debut in Sochi, Musgrave earned his first World Cup podium in Toblach, Italy in December and will fancy his chances in the men's skiathlon.

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