The Winter Olympics - Top 10 British Heroes

Top10 Ok, so we've not had the same number of successes at the Winter Olympics as we've had in the summer games, but that's not to say that Britain hasn't had it's moments. So here's our ten favourite Brits who've done the home nations proud over the years...

1. Dixon and Nash (Two-Man Bobsleigh, 1964)

Robin Dixon and Tony Nash started their partnership in the early 1960's as part of the British 4-man bob team that also featured Henry Taylor. When Taylor left the team to concentrate on his Formula One career, Nash took over as the bob's driver, a slightly controversial choice at the time as he had no experience as a front man and his eyesight was poor ! Nash had no formal training and just set about learning the job on his own but showed enough promise to persuade Dixon to join him in a two-man partnership.

By the time of the 1964 Innsbruck Winter Olympics the pair had achieved podium success in the World Championships, an incredible feat in itself for two people who were travelling around Europe in an old Land Rover, living off money raised by family and friends and using old sleds from their friends in the Italian bob team.

Their Olympic campaign started well - recording the fastest time after the first run but then disaster struck. A bolt that held the metal runners to the actual body of the sled had broken off. They had a number of spare parts in case something happened, but they didn't have a bolt to fit this. It looked like their Olympic dream was over after just a single run. But then came one of the great acts of Olympic sportsmanship... the driver of the Italian number one bob, Eugenio Monti, told Dixon and Nash that they could have the matching bolt from his sled after he'd done his run. And true enough, as soon as Monti finished his run, the bolt was taken off his sled and rushed up to the start and connected to the British sled. They finshed the day just in front of the Italian who had just kept their Olympics dreams alive.

After run 3 they'd slipped down to 2nd place, behind the other Italian bob, with the generous Monti back in 3rd place. Their final run was actually their worst, and as they waited they thought their chances had gone, so retired to a cafe for a schnapps and waited for the bad news to arrive. However, some good news broke that the course had started to slow down, suddenly Zardini had lost his lead and slipped back into the silver medal position, whilst Monti held on to bronze.

Both Nash and Dixon, ecstatic with their win, stated their disbelief at what Monti had done, with Dixon joking that he would have tried to stop the Italian rather than help him if the situations had been reversed. Nash and Dixon took the glory of the gold medal but Monti wasn't forgotten - awarded the honour of the Pierre de Coubertin award for fair play (incredibly, Monti and his mechanics had also helped the Canadian 4-man team by repeairing their axle!).

Winning Olympic gold is an incredible feat for anyone - but for two men from a country without much snow, let alone a bosleigh track, is something that deserves to make them our number 1.

See also: the full profile of Dixon and Nash.

2. Torville and Dean (Pairs Ice Dancing, 1984)

SNOWKINGS CLASSIC CLIP - 1984 BOLERO
Torville and Dean strut their stuff

Double click the video for larger view

Now classed as genuine legends of British sport, Jane Torville and Christopher Dean were first brought together back in 1975, whilst both were junior champions with different partners. They won a number of domestic titles immediately and by the time of their first Olympic appearance, the 1980 Lake Placid games, they had progressed to such a standard whereby they finished 5th. They also came 4th at the World Championships in the same year. Incredibly, they then won every competition they entered after that, culminating in the gold medal performance at the 1984 Sarajevo games. By this time they had been joined by actor Michael Crawford as well as coach Betty Callaway. Crawford had been brought in to create really theatrical performances, and to help the two of them act out the routines, so creating an ice-dance movement that was far removed from the more traditional ice-dance routines. Employing the former Some Mothers Do Ave 'Em actor seemed almost surreal at the the time - here was a man who's only knowledge of skating appeared to be from that episode where he roller-skated behind a bus ! However, it turned out to be a masterstroke, as the performance sent the audience into raptures and the pair scored a record 12 sixes. Rarely has such a minority sport grabbed the public's attention like this did, and they have gone on to become two of the country's best loved sports people.

3. Alain Baxter (Men's Slalom, 2002)

SNOWKINGS VIDEO CLIP
Alain Baxter's Olympic Story

Double click the video for larger view

Winning an Olympic medal is a big thing, end of story. But winning an Olympic medal as an underdog, against all the odds, is some thing really special. So when Alain Baxter took bronze in the Men's Slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City games, becoming the first person from these shores to win an alping skiing medal, it was massive news, especially in Scotland. In actual fact, for those in the know within the sport it wasn't as big a surprise as some people make out, the 2001 season had seen Baxter achieve a number of eye-catching results, the best being a fourth place in Are, Sweden, but backed up by three other top ten finishes.

So when Baxter raced to third place behind French duo Jean-Piere Vidal and Sebastien Amiez the skiing world was perhaps less surprised than the backpages of the British media were. The 28 year old returned home to Aviemore to a hero's welcome, Scotland was in a state of euphoria following Rhona Martin's all-Scottish team's triumph in the Curling final, two days before Baxter's bronze run, and Baxter's popularity had rocketed north of the border as he dyed his hair blue and white into the saltire cross of St Andrews following his triumph. However, the British Olympic Association, keen to show a united front across all the home nations, ordered him to remove it. This was easier said than done though... Baxter tried to re-dye it all blue but the St Andrews pattern was still clearly visible as he collected his medal !

Days after his legendary open-top bus parade around Aviemore, disasterous news broke - Baxter discovered that he had failed a drug's test at the games - his sample containing a small trace of methamphetamine. The BOA appealed but the IOC declared that Baxter was now disqualified from the event and would have to return his medal, Austrian Benjamin Raich being promoted to third place.

Baxter revealed that the trace had come from a Vick's inhaler that had been bought the USA, completely unware that the inhaler's ingredients were slightly different to the UK version that he had previously used without any problem. The International Ski Federation accepted this explanation but still banned him for 3 months, their minimum term. However, the British Ski Federation appealed and successfully got the ban lifted, giving the BOA hope that they could get the Olympic medal ruling over-turned.

The BOA, along with a host of experts, argued that the banned trace in the inhaler was not performance enhancing or a stimulant, but merely a decongestant. The appeal ruling spaked yet more controversy as the IOC appeal committee sided with the evidence of Dr Don Catlin, a controversial medical figure within US Althletics. The appeal was overturned and Baxter remained medal-less, and therefore, officially, he did not become the first Brit to win an alipine skiing medal. However, un-officially many people within the sport, like us, think him extremely unlucky to be stripped of the bronze, and still consider him a medal winner.

"Ooohhh!!! what controversy!!" we hear you scream, picking a man who had his medal taken away. But come on, this is a man who finished third (yes, that's number 3) in the slalom against the might of the Alpine, Scandanavian and North American nations, wasn't banned from the FIS yet still had his bronze medal taken away for taking a Vick's Nasal Inhaler - a real difference that would have made to him on those two incredible ski runs he made !

4. Men's Ice Hockey (1936)

SNOWKINGS VIDEO CLIP - 1936 ICE HOCKEY
Ok, so the clip doesn't feature Britain,
but it gives an idea of the 1936 games.

Double click the video for larger view

If you told the average Joe that Britain had won gold in the Winter Olympics Ice Hockey tournament you'd be laughed out of town. But, as with the origins of alpine ski racing, the British had a significant influence on the sport for such a relatively mild and ice-less country. The origins of ice hockey aren't exactly clear, but British did help bring the sport to North America, with records of British soldiers playing the game in Canada.

So, despite a bit of help from the British in discovering the sport, the Canadians took it on and then exported it to the world, well, Europe and America to be precise. The Canadians were the dominant force in the game, claiming gold in the first four Olympics, so when the 1934 games at Garmisch-Partenkirchen came along there was no doubting who were the favourites for the title.

However, this was the golden age of the sport in Britain, with large ice rinks popping up all over the country and, thanks to a flood of imported Canadian players, a flourishing league with plenty of teams. It's become one of those urban myths that all of the British team were actually Canadians, but this is far from the truth - of the 13 squad members 11 were born in Britain and the other two, even though they'd been born in Canada, had British passports. They may have honed their hockey skills over the pond, but the majority could definitely be considered British.

The tournament kicked off with a preliminary round - Britain topping Group D with 1-0 and 3-0 victories over Sweden and Japan. The Semi Final round was made up of 8 qualifying teams from the preliminary round, with Britain in Group A alongside tournament favourites Canada, hosts Germany and Hungary. Britain got off to a great start in the group with a surprise 2-1 victory over Canada, but were then held 1-1 by the Germans in the following game. A comfortable 5-1 victory over the group whipping boys Hungary booked their place in the medal round, whilst the Canadians hit top form with 15:0 and 6:2 victories over Hungary and Germany, meaning they finished runners up and also progressed. They were joined in the medal round by the USA and Czechoslovakia.

Britain's result against Canada in the semi-finals would now prove key to their success, as tournament rules stated that this result would be carried over into the final round (meaning the GB and Canada wouldn't play each other, nor would the USA and Czechoslovakia) so GB and USA immediately started the final round 2 points clear of Canada and Czechoslovakia. Canada, along with Germany (as the host nation they were keen for the public to see more key games), appealed against the ruling and asked that the games be played again, but this was turned down flat by the Olympic Committee. Britain then beat Czechoslovakia 5:0, followed closely by the Canadians thumping the Czech's 7:0, meaning Britain went into their final game against USA knowing that a tie would be all but good enough to land them gold, as the USA would have to thrash the Canadians, which seemed most unlikely as they were now on fire and looking extremely strong. The British team held out for a 0:0 tie, meaning that they faced the strange situation of having to cheer on main rivals Canada in the final game over the USA. The Canadians duly won 1:0, meaning they took silver whilst the Americans took bronze. As the Olympics had also counted as the World Championships and European Championships it meant the British team suddenly held the 3 biggest titles in the sport.

Normal service was resumed in the next 2 Olympics as Canada again struck gold, but the medal tables will always show how Britain prevented the Canadians winning the first 7 Ice Hockey titles with that famous victory in Garmisch.

5. Women's Curling Team (2002)

SNOWKINGS VIDEO CLIP - 2002 CURLING
Click on the image below
to see Rhona Martin and her team claim gold....

Captained by Rhona Martin, the all-Scottish quartet of Martin, Fiona MacDonald, Janice Rankin and Debbie Knox became Britain's first gold medallists at the Winter Olympics since Torvill and Dean back in 1984 when they unexpectedly triumphed in the 2002 Salt Lake City games. And with it Curling became the cult event of the games for a surprisngly engrossed British public. Martin though, had nearly not made the trip, as she faced a strong last-minute challenge from a rival quartet before finally being named as Britaion's representatives and then nearly missed the games through illness. However, once they'd settled in at the Olympic village they grasped the opportunity, winning 5 of their first 7 matches and looking like they were about to breeze into the semi-finals. Indeed, a victory in their next match against home nation USA would see them book a semi-final berth and leave them with a great chance of taking home a medal. However, the USA rink staged a dramatic late comeback and took home the points. A win over Germany in their final league game would still see them through though, but the shell-shocked GB team were beaten comfortably, meaning that to progress to the semi-finals they now needed Switzerland to defeat the Germans in their last match and then win 2 following tie-break matches. The Swiss did their bit by beating Germany, but the GB rink had an enormous task ahead of them in the shape of World Champions Sweden. However, the confidence that had been deflated during their previous 2 defeats was all of a sudden back, with Martin and her team romping to victory. Medal hopes were mentioned again, particularly after they won the 2nd tie-break match, gaining revenge over the German rink and booking their place in the semi-finals against Canada. Revenge was on the menu again as the Canadians had beaten the GB team only 2 years previously in the semi-final of the World Championships. Onto the final and the GB team lead 3:1 before the Swiss fought bak to level things at 3:3. Just as it appeared that the Swiss were about to take the gold, skipper Martin clinched the title with the last stone of the final end, knocking out a Swiss stone and placing her's near the centre of the rink to seal a 4:3 victory - a fitting way to win a remarkable gold.

6. John Curry (Men's Figure Skating, 1976)

SNOWKINGS VIDEO CLIP - 1976 JOHN CURRY
JC skates to Olympic glory - a 1st for British men.

Double click the video for larger view

26 year old Curry was the flag-bearer for the British team at the 1976 Innsbruck Olympics and, having come 2nd and 3rd the previous year in the European and World Championships respectively, was the team's only realistic hope of a medal. After winning the British title in 1971 and finishing 11th at the 1972 Sapporo Games, he decided that his best chances of progressing in the sport were to head off to the United States, where some of the best coaches were based. Having found a sponsor to help finance the move he then hooked up with Italian coach Carlo Fassi and trained for three years in the USA. Fassi's training paid dividends as Curry lead after the first two rounds. Famed for his ability to combine modern dance and ballet movements into his routines, his artistic interpretation gave him a clear edge over his rivals and he would extend his lead further, taking gold ahead of the Soviet Union's Vladimir Kovalyov and Canadian Toller Cranston.

His gold winning performance was actually Britain's first medal in men's figure skating and the first Winter Olympic medal since Dixon and Nash twelve years earlier.

Tragically, he died in 1994 aged only 44.

7. Robin Cousins (Men's Figure Skating, 1980)

SNOWKINGS VIDEO CLIP - 1980 ROBIN COUSINS
Cousins takes over the mantel from Curry.

Double click the video for larger view

Typical, having waited 52 years to get a medal in the men's figure skating, all of a sudden Britain couldn't stop winning the damned thing. Following on from John Curry's gold medal winning performance in Innsbruck was Robin Cousins, four years later in Lake Placid. Cousins also performed in the 1976 games, finishing in 10th place. Like Curry before him, Cousins would also make his way to the United States to be coached by Carlo Fassi. And just like Curry, the move would be one of the best decisions of his sporting career, as he took gold at the 1980 games.

He returned to the forefront of public attention at the end of the 'noughties', appearing as head judge on ITV programme Dancing on Ice.

8. Jeanette Altwegg (Women's Figure Skating, 1952)

Born in India but brought up in Lancashire, Jeanette Altwegg captured Olympic gold in the women's figure skating competition at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, aged just 22.

Four years earlier at the St Moritz games she had claimed the bronze medal in the same event and also won the World Championships twice, in 1951 and 1952. Altwegg was a terrific all round sportwoman - she had been a junior finalist at Wimbledon in 1947 but opted for a career in ice-skating ahead of tennis.

Having won Olympic gold she was offered a lucrative move to the professional arena of the sport but turned it down so that she could work in Switzerland at an orphanage for children affected by World War 2, marrying Swiss Marc Wirz, brother of fellow skater Susu Wirz.

9. Shelley Rudman (Women's Skeleton Bob, 2006)

SNOWKINGS VIDEO CLIP - 2006 SKELETON BOB
Click on the image below
to see Shelley Rudman claim silver....

At the turn of the millenium, the number of British people who were aware of the sport of Skeleton Bob was restricted to Alex Coomber, Alex Coomber's dad, and a handful of Eurosport addicts. The joys of watching lycra-clad daredevils rattling head-first down an icy course, on a tray, at speeds that would get you banned on a motorway, had somehow been overlooked by the British sporting public. But when Alex Coomber took bronze in the event at the 2002 Salt Lake City games, the country all of a sudden had a bit of pedigree in the sport, and a bit of interest. It was from this moment that Shelley Rudman's phenomenal rise to glory at the 2006 Olympics can be traced. A decent club-level athlete, she had no background in wintersports and only took up the sport 4 years before the 2006 games, a combination of having watched Coomber take a medal, a winter sports holiday at the Norwegian resort of Lillehammer and a meeting with fellow Wiltshire resident Coomber at the opening of an all-weather skeleton track at Bath University, had persuaded her to get involved in the sport.

She progressed year on year from then on - a top 10 finish at the World Junior Championships in 2003 was followed with a Europa Cup victory the following year, and then 1st place at the World University Games in 2005.

A year later Rudman, now aged 24, was realistically looking at a top 10 finish at the 2006 Turin Olympics. In classic British winter-sports fashion, Rudman hadn't been given funding from the National Lottery scheme and had to raise a shed-load of money to make herself competitiive at the games, in particular she needed to find an incredible œ4000 to pay for a professional sled. Her home town of Pewsey in Wiltshire came up trumps, and with the Shelley Rudman Supporters Group being set-up, they generated more than œ10000 - even hosting a special canoe race to help raise the cash.

All the effort looked like it had paid off as Rudman set the fastest time in practice on the 1435m long Cesana Pariol track. Even though it was just a practice run it catapulted her to the forefront of the success-starved British media who were covering the games. She didn't quite reach the same heights in the first actual race run, placing 4th, but this was still way ahead of the pre-games expectations. However, a fantastic second run saw her climb up to the silver medal position, just missing out on gold as Switzerland's Maya Pederson snatched the lead with the last run of the competition. It was Britains only medal at the games, and it owed a debt of thanks not just to Rudman's talent but also the people of Pewsey, the regulars in her local pub (the Moonrakers) and all her family and friends who gave her the support.

See also: www.shelleyrudman.com

10. Four Man Bobsleigh (1988)

Britain's only medal at the 1998 games came in the 4-man bobsleigh, as they tied for Bronze with the France team, an incredible effort given the difference in budgets between the British team and it's European and North American counterparts.

The team was led by Sean Olsson, a soldier from the British Army's parachute regiment. Olsson been vying with Mark Tout for the status of British number throughout the early nineties. However, when Tout was banned for steroid abuse in 1996, Olsson took over the mantel as Britain's number one bob driver and inherited Paul Attwood and Courtney Rumboult from Tout's squad for the 4 man team. A stronger team led to improved results, with Olsson just missing out on bronze at the 1997 World Championships in St Moritz. Having finished in the top three twice during the 1997-98 World Cup season he went to Nagano in Japan with hopes of a medal. Olsson's team was made up of two other soldiers, Paul Attwood and Dean Ward, along with sprinter Courtney Rumboult, who'd got into the sport after failing to grab a place in the GB squad for the Barcelona summer Olympics. Rumboult, who could run the 100m in sub 10.5 seconds, was the team's key speed-merchant. Hopes for a medal rocketed as the team finished the 1st day of competition sat in silver medal position, only one run had been possible because of deteriorating weather conditions, but this played into the GB team's hands as it meant other teams only had two more runs to overtake them. However, a poor run at the start of the second day left them in danger of dropping out of the medals. Olsson and the team got things together for the final run and did just enough to claim bronze, tied on exactly the same time with the French team. It was Britain's first medal in the 4 man event since 1936.

The team continued after the games and, despite not reaching the same level of success as those heady days, still remained competitive on the world stage. Olsson and Ward later moved into coaching roles within the national set-up.

You may also be interested in:

Top 10 Iconic Moments of the Winter Olympics

Keywords : winter olympics british heroes : alpine olympics english scottish welsh irish winners