Winter Olympics - Team GB should be 'really pleased' despite medal haul, say Amy Williams and Greg Rutherford

Published 20/02/2022 at 12:46 GMT

After Eve Muirhead secured gold at the eleventh hour, Team GB finished 19th in the medal table with one gold and one silver. But Amy Williams and Greg Rutherford insist there are reasons for optimism ahead of Milan-Cortina 2026. Britain had won five medals at each of the last two Winter Olympics prior to Beijing 2022.

Williams and Rutherford: Team GB should be excited for Milan-Cortina 2026

Team GB should be “really pleased” despite leaving the Winter Olympics with only two medals, says Eurosport expert Amy Williams.

A difficult Games for Britain featured a spree of disappointment across the first two weeks.

World champion Charlotte Bankes bowed out in the snowboard cross quarter-finals, Dave Ryding failed to back up his historic win in Kitzbuhel, the skeleton – usually a staple of British success – did not produce a medal, while there were also anti-climaxes in the bobsleigh and freestyle skiing.

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But just when it looked like Team GB would leave without a medal, the curlers stepped up.

First Bruce Mouat skipped the men to silver, then Eve Muirhead delivered the gold fans have craved – 20 years on from Rhona Martin’s ‘stone of destiny’ in Salt Lake City.

GB skeleton great Amy Williams and Olympic long jump champion-turned-bobsledder Greg Rutherford dropped in on The Cube to insist there is plenty of reason for optimism.

Williams was quick to highlight that the coronavirus pandemic will have impacted British athletes, with the Isles not renowned for its snowy peaks and sport-specific ice rinks.

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“We have to be really pleased, really proud of these athletes. They are a very young team, a lot of them are first-time Olympians,” said Williams.

“And in this very incredibly challenging last two years, we haven’t been able to get on the snow and the ice in the same way as other times.

“I really feel proud. So many have made finals, top six finishes and we have right at the end got a few medals.”

Team GB won five medals at PyeongChang 2018 – including gold for Lizzy Yarnold in the skeleton – as they brought home a record haul. They also won five medals at Sochi 2014, although they were only bumped up from four in 2019 when the four-man bobsleigh crew were upgraded to bronze following Russian doping violations.

“We have to take PyeongChang ever so slightly out of it. That was our biggest-ever medal haul,” said Rutherford.

“Before that, one or two medals was very common for Team GB so we have to put things into perspective. The fact that they are so young, going forward I think this is really exciting.

“You can judge things from people making finals. If they are making finals at a young age, then there’s a great opportunity four years’ time for them to go out there and get that medal.”

The Winter Olympics return in Milan-Cortina in 2026.