Winter Olympics – Can Team GB deliver?

Great Britain have arrived in South Korea for the Winter Olympics with expectations of them being the most successful team this country has ever sent – but the Bookmakers think they will fall short.

Team GB’s record at a Winter games is four medals, something they achieved in 1924 and also last time out in Russia in 2014.

Now with a squad of nearly 60 athletes – their biggest ever – UK Sport wants at least 4 and up to 10 medals.

Bookmakers are not confident, and they are odds-on to get under 3 at 4/9, whilst above that tally is 31/20.

“Team GB have some great medal prospects, but only two contenders are odds-on to land metal-ware in Pyeongchang,” said OddsMonkey spokesman Peter Watton.

“The curling arena, as we are used to now, is a British Winter Olympics cornerstone and having picked up medals with both the men’s and women’s teams last time – they are again fancied to do well, with women 9/10 to claim a medal under skip Eve Muirhead – who won a bronze in Sochi.

“The next best hope is speed skating superstar Elise Christie – she has three chances but it is in the shortest distance of 500m where she is one of the favourites for the Gold medal at 11/4,.

“Indeed we agree with the Bookmakers here – backing Scottish women seems to be best chance you have of making money off the back of the British in South Korea in the shape of Christie and Muirhead.

“Of the other chances – Lizzy Arnold can’t be ruled out to medal as she defends her Skeleton title, whilst GB have two teams in the four-man Bobsleigh and they are certainly not without a chance on the mountain, whilst alpine skier Dave Ryding has established himself as a world class performer in the slalom, and on his day he has a real chance of making the podium.

“Overall the Bookmakers are not fancying Team GB to do as well as they did in Russia, but that in part will be down to the loss of snowboarder Katie Ormerod who has pulled out on the eve of the Olympics with a broken heel suffered in training – she was a real medal hope and is a huge blow for the squad.

“The Bookies are now 4/9 on them claiming just two medals – that is a near 70% chance, but we think there could be real value here – if the curling teams deliver as they did in Russia, then you are already there! We think the negative Bookmakers are onto a loser here.”

Selected Winter Olympics odds:

Team GB less than 3 medals – 4/9
Team GB more than 3 medals – 31/20
Elise Christie 500m gold 11/4
Women’s curling gold 13/2