Great Britain ‘a nation on the rise’ in winter sports after historic Olympics

Chef de Mission Eve Muirhead declared Great Britain a nation “on the rise” in winter sports as Olympians received a hero’s welcome following their record-breaking exploits in Italy.

Team GB celebrated their greatest Winter Olympics by winning five medals – three gold, a silver and a bronze – at the Milan and Cortina Games.

Skeleton racer Matt Weston led athletes into the arrivals hall at Gatwick Airport on Monday lunchtime, wearing his two gold medals and waving the Union Flag.

“To come away as the most successful (British) team at the Winter Olympics, coming away with the most-decorated male winter Olympian of all time in Matt Weston as well, it’s really special,” Muirhead told the Press Association.

“It just really comes down to the history-makers, the athletes. They have been incredible.

“We’ve had a handful of fourth places, I think we’ve had 24 top 10s as well, so it really shows that we are a nation with a lot of potential and most definitely on the rise.”

Following individual success, Weston claimed the mixed skeleton title alongside Tabby Stoecker after Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale topped the podium in the mixed team snowboard cross.

The men’s curling team, led by Bruce Mouat, clinched silver on the penultimate day of the Games before freestyle skier Zoe Atkin added bronze in the women’s halfpipe on the final day.

Friends, family, and pupils from St. John’s C of E Primary School in Caterham were among those gathered in Gatwick’s South Terminal for a rousing homecoming.

“It was amazing to walk out there,” said Muirhead, who won curling gold at Beijing 2022 after bronze at Sochi 2014.

“It’s the history-makers, the athletes – this is their moment and they deserve every single bit of it because they really have been an incredible team out in Italy.

“We want to make the most of this opportunity. We’ve got a team here that’s come away as the most-successful Winter Olympic team, so it’s important that we capitalise on that.

“We are a nation that lacks ice and snow. But I think it shows what a great job all the sports are doing. If we can get more young people involved in sport, it’s a great way to inspire the nation.”

Nightingale and Bankes bounced back from disappointing results in their respective individual competitions to win Britain’s first gold on snow.

Nightingale, 24, said: “For me it means quite a lot to show that GB is becoming a winter nation and we do have top athletes that are doing great in their sport, and we can hopefully get young kids to want to do what we wanted to do.”

Team GB touched down at 11.06am on their British Airways flight from Verona.

Bankes, 30, who was a flagbearer at Sunday evening’s closing ceremony, said: “Coming back to the UK, it made me realise a bit more what we’ve achieved and all that comes with it, it’s really nice.

“Coming away with the gold, hopefully it’s inspired a lot of people into snowboarding, just to go out there and have fun and enjoy sport.”

Atkin followed in the footsteps of elder sister Izzy, who won Olympic slopestyle bronze in 2018.

The 23-year-old Stanford University student suffered “post-Olympic blues” after a disappointing ninth-placed finish on her debut at Beijing in 2022.

“I’ve been dreaming about medalling at the Olympics since forever, I think since my sister did it in 2018,” said Atkin.

“To perform for her and show her my best skiing was really, really special and full circle for us.”