Dave's Ryding high with one year to go

The unprecedented success of so many of its athletes across a range of sports so far this season suggests Great Britain could make Pyeongchang 2018 their best Winter Olympics of all time.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Feb 2017, 12:06 BST
Updated 28th Feb 2017, 12:42 BST
Chorley ski star Dave RydingChorley ski star Dave Ryding
Chorley ski star Dave Ryding

Six different winter athletes have appeared on World Cup podiums this season and the success of many others means Team GB head to South Korea with genuine medal prospects.

With a year to go to the opening ceremony, we take a look at Britain’s five best prospects of securing more Winter Games medals than ever before:

DAVE RYDING

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Chorley’s Ryding’s remarkable climb to the top of his sport culminated in a silver medal in the men’s World Cup slalom in Kitzbuhel last month – the best result for a British alpine racer since Konrad Bartelski in 1981. A 10th place the following week in Schladming showed Ryding’s result was no fluke - and suggested he could be a strong medal contender in Pyeongchang.

KATIE ORMEROD

The snowboard star is already blazing a trail in her sport. Ormerod has racked up three World Cup podiums so far this season in both slopestyle and Big Air disciplines – and is on course to become the first British athlete to win two medals at the same Winter Olympic Games.

ELISE CHRISTIE

The short-track star has won five World Cup gold medals so far this season and set a new 500m world record. Convinced she has got the better of her rivals, Christie looks like being the racer to beat in Pyeongchang – where she will be hoping to put the heartbreak of Sochi 2014 behind her once and for all.

LIZZY YARNOLD

The Olympic champion has made a steady return to skeleton after a year out, with a silver medal at the second World Cup of the season in Lake Placid in December. Twelve more months will clearly help her cause – as will the growing rivalry with team-mate Laura Deas, whose own string of top 10 finishes also augurs well.

JAMES WOODS

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The Sheffield ski slopestyle star clinched victory at the prestigious X Games in Colorado this month, reinforcing his position as one of the leading contenders in his sport. Unashamedly honest about his motivations, Woods insists he will go to Pyeongchang with no thoughts of medals - and such a pressure-free attitude could well play into his hands.

Related topics:Great BritainSouth Korea