“slight arrogance”.<\/a><\/p>\nSpeaking before the 2026 Games, she said: “We’ve always got it in the back of our minds.<\/p>\n
“We can’t bank on anything because literally anything can happen. There’s that sense of jeopardy.”<\/p>\n
Team GB chef de mission Eve Muirhead added: “What a great opportunity we have, but we’ve also got to take into account the high risk of winter sport – and that’s why everyone loves it.”<\/p>\n
But this time it does feel different.<\/p>\n
Take the 2024-25 season, for example. Britain’s winter athletes won nine World Championship medals across the sports.<\/p>\n
British skiers and snowboarders achieved 28 major podiums in Olympic disciplines, won three Crystal Globes (overall World Cup titles) and one World Championship title for Atkin.<\/p>\n
In skeleton, British athletes won three World Championship medals and 19 on the World Cup circuit – seven of which were gold – while Weston and Wyatt secured a one-two in the overall rankings.<\/p>\n
Despite injuries threatening to derail some athletes’ march towards the Olympics, such widespread success has continued into the current season.<\/p>\n
At the X Games, in which the world’s best freestyle skiers and snowboarders are invited to compete, Brookes, Atkin and Muir came away with five medals between them – three of them gold – in a statement performance only two weeks before Milan-Cortina.<\/p>\n
And in men’s skeleton, Weston won five of the seven World Cup races this season and Wyatt won the other two.<\/p>\n
“I’m really excited,” said Gosling. “When you look at the strength in depth of the team that we have, we couldn’t be in a better place.<\/p>\n
“We’ve punched way above our weight.”<\/p>\n
Over the four-year cycle leading into the Milan-Cortina Games, UK Sport has ploughed \u00a325.5m into winter sports on the Olympic programme, up from \u00a322.2m for the Beijing cycle.<\/p>\n
The 2022 figure was almost double the investment for Sochi 2014.<\/p>\n
However, Olympic winter sports federations in the US received about \u00a324m for the year of 2022 alone from the US Olympic Committee.<\/p>\n
“We’ve gone from a nation happy to be at the start line to a nation that’s truly capable of winning,” said Gosling.<\/p>\n
“Not only do we expect to be on the start line, but we expect a medal.<\/p>\n
“The Eddie the Eagle days are over.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
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