Team GB is poised for its most expansive Winter Olympic challenge, with a 53-strong contingent heading to Milan-Cortina and the nation’s funding body, UK Sport, setting an ambitious target of up to eight medals to shatter the previous record haul.
Officials have outlined a medal range of four to eight, which they state reflects the team being “more competitive in more sports at a winter games than ever before”, aiming to surpass the benchmark of five medals set in Sochi 2014 and equalled in Pyeongchang 2018.
Podium Prospects Across the Disciplines
Leading the charge for gold is two-time world skeleton champion Matt Weston, while team-mate Tabby Stoecker, a World Cup medallist, is also among the podium hopes in the same event. Curling, perennially a source of British medals, features Bruce Mouat competing in both the men’s team and the mixed doubles alongside Jennifer Dodds.
In figure skating, the duo of Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who narrowly missed the European title last month, are considered strong contenders, while freestyle skier Zoe Atkin arrives in formidable form having secured SuperPipe gold at the X Games and a halfpipe world championship title in 2025.
The Road to Medals: A Detailed Schedule
Competition begins even before the opening ceremony, with the mixed doubles curling round-robin stage commencing on February 4. Mouat and Dodds face Estonia and Czechia on February 5, followed by matches against Sweden and South Korea on the opening day, February 6, which also features figure skating’s ice dance, pair skating, and women’s singles events.
The first medal opportunities arrive quickly. On February 7, freestyle skiers Kirsty Muir and Chris McCormick contest qualifying, while cross-country skier Anna Pryce takes on the 10km skiathlon. The first gold medal events include the men’s 10km skiathlon in cross-country on February 8 and the women’s freeski final and women’s 1000m speed skating, featuring Ellia Smeding, on February 9.
Skeleton, a key British hope, begins with the men’s heats featuring Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt on February 12, followed by the women’s heats with Tabby Stoecker, Amelia Coltman, and Freya Tarbit on February 13. The men’s skeleton gold is decided on February 13, with the women’s final on February 14.
Curling’s team events unfold throughout the second week. The men’s team, skipped by Bruce Mouat and including Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan Jr, Bobby Lammie, and Kyle Waddell, begins its campaign on February 11. The women’s team of Rebecca Morrison, Sophie Jackson, Sophie Sinclair, Jennifer Dodds, and Fay Henderson starts on February 12. Both teams progress through round-robin matches, with semi-finals on February 19 for the men and February 20 for the women, leading to medal matches from February 20 through to the women’s gold medal game on February 22.
Other highlights include snowboard cross, with Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale in action from February 13, and the mixed team event on February 15. Freestyle skiing’s halfpipe events see Zoe Atkin in the women’s qualifying on February 19 and final on February 21, while Gus Kenworthy and Liam Richards feature in the men’s event. Bobsleigh features Adele Nicoll in the women’s monobob from February 15 and with Ashleigh Nelson in the two-woman event from February 20, while Brad Hall pilots the two-man and four-man crews from February 16 and February 21 respectively.
The final days also showcase alpine skiing with Billy Major, Dave Ryding, and Laurie Taylor in the slalom on February 16, and short track speed skater Niall Treacy across the 1000m, 1500m, and 500m distances. The Games conclude with the closing ceremony on February 22, following the last gold medal decisions.
