0:00:09 > 0:00:13It takes a special kind of athlete to succeed at the Winter Olympics.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Traditionally, British success has been sporadic at best.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21But in recent years, Team GB has finally joined the party.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26Lizzie Yarnold is the Olympic champion!
0:00:26 > 0:00:29There were four GB medals during Sochi 2014.
0:00:29 > 0:00:37That could be upgraded to a record haul of five.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39British athletes are winning more major medals now
0:00:39 > 0:00:42than at any point in history.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45There is every chance that PyeongChang 2018 in South Korea
0:00:45 > 0:00:53could be Great Britain's best ever Games.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58One of Britain's best medal prospects is Elise Christie,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00competing in three events.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Since the last Games, she has become a world champion.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07She is looking to put her Olympic demons firmly behind her
0:01:07 > 0:01:14after a devastating Sochi 2014.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Oh, they've gone down, they've all gone down!
0:01:17 > 0:01:18I can't believe it!
0:01:18 > 0:01:25Christie's been penalised again.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27It's been tough.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31I can't even describe how hard it was.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36I suffered a lot after it, in my normal life too.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39I had a crash at the games.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I received a lot of death threats and online abuse
0:01:42 > 0:01:43from the South Koreans.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45It changed me as a person.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48You know, I lost a lot of confidence from it.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52But since then I have actually had a massive turnaround.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57Christie, the first British woman to win a short track World Title!
0:01:57 > 0:01:59People became fans and they were really sorry for how
0:01:59 > 0:02:00people had treated me.
0:02:00 > 0:02:06And actually the majority of the South Koreans really support me.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I think it's nice to see how much I've moved forward since then.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11I'm a totally different skater.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16I've developed so much.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I don't know how I'll survive if it happens again and I have a terrible
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Olympics and I mess it up.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24When I go to the Olympics, I'm hoping to win a gold medal.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27I definitely want it more than anything else.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30But at the same time, part of me does need it,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32just with what happened in Sochi and to get redemption
0:02:32 > 0:02:35for what mistakes I made.
0:02:35 > 0:02:45If I won a gold, it would be incredible, indescribable.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48The British bobsleigh four-man team finished fifth,
0:02:48 > 0:02:53an agonising 0.11 seconds from the medals at Sochi 2014.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55But they are in line for an upgrade to bronze
0:02:55 > 0:03:01following the disqualification of two Russians for doping offences.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Corruption on an unprecedented scale.
0:03:03 > 0:03:071,000 Russian athletes are accused of doping.
0:03:07 > 0:03:08The Russian government organised and directed
0:03:08 > 0:03:12a sophisticated doping programme.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17From London 2012 through to Sochi 2014 and beyond.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22Great Britain look set to win a bobsleigh bronze medal,
0:03:22 > 0:03:32the IOC banned three more Russian athletes for doping.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47We had our moment stolen, basically.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49I feel like we fought so hard, knowing we were good enough
0:03:49 > 0:03:51to get on the podium.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52It's hard to take.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55As we're seeing across all sports in the world right now, this
0:03:55 > 0:03:56is happening all too frequently.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57It's a really sad state.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00It would have been a massive family achievement, more than anything.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02There's no escaping that, it would have been different.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04The funding would have been much higher.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Obviously, the personal reward of it.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Potentially, though, there would have been opportunities
0:04:10 > 0:04:14for us to further our careers.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17We did come third but until we've got the medal...
0:04:17 > 0:04:21How much would you like it to be resolved by PyeongChang?
0:04:21 > 0:04:25One of the things that is mentioned is, how do you feel about your
0:04:25 > 0:04:27moment being stolen away from you?
0:04:27 > 0:04:31In some cases, that could be corrected by being presented
0:04:31 > 0:04:35with a medal in the PyeongChang.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Silver for Great Britain.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Bronze last week.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43You have another chance to do it at the Games themselves.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45The team is going in the right direction?
0:04:45 > 0:04:48It is.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Previously there had been one competitive team, now there is two.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53The possibilities are huge for this team.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56We are going to get a podium.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59The British four-man team from Sochi 2014 should learn
0:04:59 > 0:05:01whether they will receive a retrospective bronze
0:05:01 > 0:05:06medal by late January.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07Sliding sports won't enter the Winter Paralympics
0:05:07 > 0:05:11until Beijing 2022.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14But for PyeongChang 2018, Britain possess some medal prospects.
0:05:14 > 0:05:24Here are some of the ones to watch.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Like Britain's wheelchair curlers, the GB Olympic curlers have enjoyed
0:06:27 > 0:06:30plenty of medal success at recent Games.
0:06:30 > 0:06:40The women won bronze and the men silver at Sochi 2014,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46and both collected European honours in the last few months, suggesting
0:06:47 > 0:06:56that they are in career-best form.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01And both teams will be boosted by the presence of Muirheads.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Eve will skip the women's team, whilst her older and younger
0:07:04 > 0:07:06brothers will line up for the Team GB men.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Competing alongside my brothers will make it exciting and extra special.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12It's not every day you can compete at the Olympic Games alongside two
0:07:12 > 0:07:15of your brothers with Great Britain on your back and family watching
0:07:15 > 0:07:16and that makes it really exciting.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19I guess there is a little bit of added pressure,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21having been medallists before, you kind of have that podium
0:07:21 > 0:07:22to kind of step up to.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26But there's nothing stopping us being as good as we were last time,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29if not even better.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31The Winter Olympics have been revitalised by freestyle skiing
0:07:31 > 0:07:36and snowboarding events in the 21st century.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38And at the last Games, Great Britain claimed a first-ever
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Winter Olympic medal on the snow, with Jenny Jones
0:07:40 > 0:07:46claiming a bronze medal.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Although she isn't competing any more, there's still plenty
0:07:48 > 0:07:50to be excited about.
0:07:50 > 0:07:59Ski Sunday's Ed Leigh has more.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02I've spent more than a quarter of the century reporting on winter
0:08:02 > 0:08:04sport, and I can say hand on heart, going into PyeongChang,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Britain has never had so many medal contenders.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11The first one you have to talk about is Katie Ormerod,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14she just missed out on Sochi four years ago, and in the period
0:08:14 > 0:08:17since she has established herself as one of the best slopestyle riders
0:08:17 > 0:08:22on the female tour.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24The next rider you have to talk about is Billie Morgan,
0:08:24 > 0:08:29the first man to land the hallowed trick in snowboarding right now,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Billy is another serious contender.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Jamie Nicholls is my dark horse.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39He is pound for pound one of the best rail
0:08:39 > 0:08:41riders in the world, and has been working
0:08:41 > 0:08:42hard on his jump tricks.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43He is now a brilliant all-round rider.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46He could be a serious hope for a medal.
0:08:46 > 0:08:47We can't forget about the skiers.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50There is no shortage of talent in that corner either.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52James Woods is top of the list.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Fifth in Sochi whilst carrying a hip injury,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57the last 12 months have been a brilliant build-up to the Games.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01He has had World Cup goals.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Izzie Atkin is an ex-American skier who claimed third in slopestyle
0:09:04 > 0:09:06at the World Championships.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12Katie Summerhays has bagged a silver.
0:09:12 > 0:09:21I'm very excited about Team GB's prospects in PyeongChang.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24So, there's certainly plenty of medal potential
0:09:24 > 0:09:25from a freestyle perspective.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Next, we take a look at the other prospects
0:09:27 > 0:09:35on the path to PyeongChang.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Britain has struggled in Alpine skiing for decades,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39but slalom specialist Dave Riding now has World Cup
0:09:39 > 0:09:49success to his name.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Zoe Gillings Brier will be competing in her fourth Olympics,
0:09:59 > 0:10:00the first as a mother.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03She gave birth to her daughter, Leah, in 2016, and is already
0:10:03 > 0:10:05training her for a future in the sport.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Ice dancers Penny Combs and Nick Buckland and have been one
0:10:08 > 0:10:09of sport's most unlucky in recent years.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Buckland needed heart surgery before the last Olympics, and Combs
0:10:12 > 0:10:13shattered her knee in 2016.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15But they are back on the up.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Andrew Musgrave is on top of his game, and competes at one
0:10:17 > 0:10:19of the Olympics' toughest events, cross-country skiing.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22The British bobsleigh women's team had all of their financial support
0:10:22 > 0:10:25pulled months before the game.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30But a crowdfunding campaign saw them raise over £40,000.
0:10:30 > 0:10:37Also keep an eye out for this skeleton athlete.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Laura Dees.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41She has won World Cup honours in recent years and will be
0:10:41 > 0:10:44looking to make an impact on her Olympic debut.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45Britain's leading slider remains Lizzie Yarnold,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48the Olympic champion from Sochi 2014, who has taken a one year
0:10:48 > 0:10:52career break since the last Games.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54She has returned refreshed, but has struggled to find
0:10:54 > 0:10:57the consistency of old.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Lizzie Yarnold is the Olympic champion!
0:11:00 > 0:11:01Oh, my goodness!
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Since I was a little kid I always wanted to go to the Olympics.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07To say I am an Olympian and a gold-medallist,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11it's mind blowing.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15I think after Sochi, there was this niggling feeling that
0:11:15 > 0:11:18I hadn't been World Cup champion, I hadn't been world champion
0:11:18 > 0:11:19or European champion.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23My mind skipped immediately to that.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25To be able to achieve all four titles within two seasons,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27407 days, was awesome.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30But I was so exhausted.
0:11:30 > 0:11:37So I'm really glad that I did take that time off.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Training was a lot harder than I had remembered.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43It's just constant.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Everything we do is in a basement of a gym, just lifting weights,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50trying to get stronger, trying to get faster.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55I think the past 18 months have been very up and down.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Lizzie Yarnold takes the bronze medal!
0:11:59 > 0:12:03She's way back in tenth, 11th spot, I'm surprised!
0:12:03 > 0:12:08The Olympic champion may struggle to get a second heat after that run.
0:12:08 > 0:12:15At the moment, my results are not where I want them to be.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19I'll believe in myself and have confidence.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22The goal of trying to become the first British Winter Olympian
0:12:22 > 0:12:27to retain my title is so motivating.
0:12:27 > 0:12:34That's what gets me out of bed every morning.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36As you've been seeing, we have more medal prospect
0:12:36 > 0:12:39for Great Britain in winter sports than at any point in history.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41There is every chance that PyeongChang 2018 could be
0:12:41 > 0:12:49record-breaking game for Great Britain.