Brit Watch: Elise Christie leads Team GB hopes on Day One at PyeongChang

Where her team-mates were less successful in their opening short-track campaigns, Christie blazed ahead to win her heat in the 500m event in dominant form, and setting a new Olympic Record in the process.

That record of 42.872 seconds was edged by Korea’s Choi Minjeong shortly thereafter, though it bodes well for the three-times World Champion, who will race again – this time for gold – on Tuesday.

However, Christie will not line up against team-mates Charlotte Gilmartin or Katherine Thompson, both of whom failed to qualify. In the men’s team, Farell Treacy also went out in the first heat of the 1300m.

In the first medal-event of the Games, the women’s 15KM Skiathlon, Annika Taylor finished in 60th place, behind only Valeria Tyuleneva and Nicole Fessel, who failed to finish. Amanda Lightfoot finished in 67th place in the women’s Biathlon.

All three Brits, Jamie Nicholls, Billy Morgan and Rowan Coultas failed to qualify for the finals of the men’s Slopestyle event. However, compatriots Adam Rosen and Rupert Staudinger placed 24th and 33rd respectively after the second run of the men’s Luge, which concludes on Sunday.