Team GB’s Winter Olympians received a hero’s welcome at Gatwick Airport on Monday, with Chef de Mission Eve Muirhead declaring the nation "on the rise" in winter sports following their record-breaking exploits in Italy.
Great Britain celebrated its most successful Winter Olympics to date, securing five medals – three gold, a silver, and a bronze – at the Milan and Cortina Games.
Skeleton racer Matt Weston, proudly displaying his two gold medals and waving the Union Flag, led the athletes into the arrivals hall.
Muirhead emphasised the significance of their achievements, stating: "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."
She added: "It just really comes down to the history-makers, the athletes. They have been incredible."
This marked a historic moment, as Team GB had never previously won multiple golds at a single Winter Olympics.
Weston’s individual triumph was complemented by a mixed skeleton title alongside Tabby Stoecker.
Further gold medals were secured by Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale in the mixed team snowboard cross.
The men’s curling team, led by Bruce Mouat, clinched a silver medal, while freestyle skier Zoe Atkin added a bronze in the women’s halfpipe on the final day.
The emotional homecoming at Gatwick’s South Terminal saw friends, family, and pupils from St. John’s C of E Primary School in Caterham gather to greet the Olympians.
Muirhead, a Beijing 2022 curling gold medallist, concluded: "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."
Team GB will hope for more glory on the world stage when the Winter Paralympics get underway next month, with the opening ceremony taking place on 6 March.
