"I'm very pleased with the athletes that have been selected for Sochi,"said Stuart Horsepool, Team GB short track team leader and performance director of GB short track

"They have all worked incredibly hard to earn the right to be part of Team GB, not just this season but over the course of the last four years.

"This is without doubt the strongest British team we have ever put together, and a number of the selected athletes have opportunities of bringing home medals from Sochi."

The announcement was followed by a team demonstration at the national performance centre in Nottingham ©Getty Images



Christie, Gilmartin and Whelbourne will compete in all individual distances - 500 metre, 1000m and 1500m - whilst Eley will race at 500m and 1000m, and Shoebridge at 1000m.

Eley's selection will make Sochi his third consecutive Olympic Winter Games, having competed at both Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010.

The 29-year-old will contend in two distances which will include his speciality, 500m, the event he placed fifth and sixth in respectively at the last two Winter Olympics.

"Even though this will be my third Olympic Winter Games, it feels just as special to be selected to represent Team GB at Sochi," said Eley.

"In some ways I'm more excited because I'm part of the strongest ever squad that Team GB has sent to a Winter Olympics and history could be made in Sochi."

For Gilmartin, a European bronze medallist, and World Cup medallist Shoebridge, 28, this is their first Olympic selection.

At Christie's Olympic debut at Vancouver in 2010, she placed 11th, 20th and 19th in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m respectively, while Whelbourne placed 16th in the 1500m.

Since then, the young duo have established themselves as Team GB's highest ranked male and female short track skaters on the world circuit.

Elise Christie became the first Great British woman to win a medal at a World Championship when she took bronze in Debrecen, Hungary earlier this year ©Getty Images



"I'm really proud to have been picked for my second Winter Olympics and I can't wait to get out to Sochi and try to win medals for Team GB," said the 23-year-old from Livingston. 

"I feel really lucky to have this opportunity and I'm so thankful to my team, support staff and everyone that has helped me get to where I am now.

"With the experience I've already gained from Vancouver 2010, I hope I can go to Sochi and do more than just take part this time.

"I want to compete for medals and I'm going to fight to be at the top of the pack."

The announcement was made today at Nottingham's National Performance Centre, where each of the athletes train, and was accompanied by a demonstration by the newly selected team.

The team will be looking to add to Britain's solitary bronze medal earned in the event by head coach Nicky Gooch at Lillehammer 1994. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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