The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, is being held in Sochi, Russia, from Friday 7 February until Sunday 23 February 2014.

When the Winter Olympics gets under way four top Army athletes will be going for gold as members of the Team GB squad. They will be representing Great Britain in bobsleigh and biathlon.

Bobsleigh

Olympic Bobsleigh sees a fibreglass sled hurtling down a man-made ice track. After the initial sprint to get the sled going, a lot of the hard work is down to the pilot who has to make split-second decisions at speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour.

The four-man GB team will be going all out to win its first bobsleigh medal since 1988. For the women there’s a chance of a medal in the two-woman event. And the Armed Forces have a remarkable three
medal chances in the sport. Royal Marine John Jackson is leading Britain’s quest for gold as the pilot of the GB1 four-man team. Other members include Lance Sergeant Lamin Deen and Corporal Paula Walker.

Biathlon

Olympic Biathlon consists of crosscountry skiing combined with rifle shooting. The sport evolved from a 19th century Norwegian military training regime. Seeing its military beginings, it’s apt that the British team contains two of our very own – Lance Bombardier Lee Jackson of 16 Regiment Royal Artillery and Corporal Amanda Lightfoot from the Adjutant General’s Corps.

 

Original article written by and sourced from – army.mod.uk