After 17 days of competition in Vancouver Britain have yet again come away with just one medal, albeit a gold medal. However, there has been criticism in the media about the medal tally and performances especially after 3 medals were targeted before the games.
Shelly Rudman, ranked number two in the world, was Britain’s main hope for a medal in Vancouver after her silver medal display in Turin four years ago but sadly after a first poor run she was out of contention in the Skeleton Bob on a track that she had problems with. Amy Williams (below) on the other hand, an outsider for a medal in Skeleton produced a course record in her first run and never look back as she won by nearly half a second, a large gap in Skeleton terms.
Another strong medal hope was women’s Bobsleigh duo Nicola Minichello and Gillian Cooke after winning the 2009 world championships. Even though the pair suffered a tough build up with driver Minichello having sight problems they were still confident of a medal. Sadly, on their second run they crashed just like the men’s duo and men’s four man team had done on a tough track, meaning they did not finish the competition.
The inclusion of ski and snowboard cross has excited many and in the latter we had high hopes for Zoey Gillings. On her Olympic debut in Turin she came 15th and had impressed in events before Vancouver. However, she failed to reach the final and in the medal round races failed at the start to come 8th. Jon Eley was another outshot as a medal after finishing 5th in Turin in Short Track Speed Skating. He again reached the semi-finals but only managed to finish 6th overall.
What was most disappointing during these Winter Games was the failure of both the men’s and women’s curling teams more so the men’s. Skip David Murdoch (above) had been doing well beating now Olympic Champions Canada as well as forming a formidable partnership with Ewan MacDonald. However, Britain had a mixed campaign but towards the end of the round robin they looked like a good shout to get through but failed to beat Norway and then in the play-off match to reatch the medals games lost to Sweden. The women’s team were as equally disappointing under young skip Eve Muirhead (below). After a good start the women’s team winning three of their first four games they lost the last five as Eve Muirhead’s performance seemed to dip in the pressure situation. However, she is only 19 and although Jackie Lockhart seems to have curled her last stone the next four years will be exciting for the young skip and her team especially as she can build her own team. It wouldn’t suprise me if Eve also recieved more media attention especially after developing a large male fanbase.
Although some areas of the media have criticised the performance it must be said or just as a reminder to those who have written about that Britain isn’t a winter sports country, we usually complain about the snow.
What really needs to be carried out by organisations in charge is a look at sports we can develop in this country to ensure medal success. Sir Steve Redgrave has already stated his aim to build an indoor long track speed skating venue in Great Britain which would hopefully house other indoor winter events. However, although UK Sport said they could run such a programme investment capital needs to be found to build such a place.
Events such as Long and Short Track Skating along with Figure skating, Curling and Ice Hockey could all be housed indoors across Britain and with the right guidance and coaching could see Britain become more competitive in the Winter Olympics. It is disappointing though that even though Britain has an Ice Hockey league it failed to reach the Winter Olympics and there is a distinct lack of British players in the league.
Medals these days take investment and Skeleton Bob has proved this. The event was introduced back into the Winter Olympics in 2002 and UK Sport invested heavily in it with a training facility in Bath and scouting possible athletes to take place from other sports. It is also no coincidence that Britain are the most successful Skeleton Bob nation since it’s return with 3 medals. (Amy Williams - 2010 Gold, Shelley Rudman - 2006 Silver, Alex Coomber - 2002 Bronze)
Lets hope the proper investment and structures from the governing bodies take place over the next four to eight years ensuring future success for Great Britain.
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