Strongest ever team to head to World University Winter Games

GREAT Britain will send their strongest contingent to date to the World University Games, with 113 young hopefuls heading to Harbin, China.

Team GB will compete in seven sports in the Ice City from February 18 - 28 2009.

The delegation has nearly tripled in size since 2005 courtesy of the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS).

This year TASS has directly supported 45 of the athletes competing and many of the teams have taken advantage of TASS' support network to run preparation camps.

Taking place every two years, the 24th World University Games involves six core sports and six guest sports equating to 82 disciplines.

"It is a great privilege that in my last games as Chef de Mission I am able to lead what is in fact the largest-ever GB team ever sent to any multi-sport winter games," said Chef de Mission Guy Taylor. 

"Having started ten years ago with myself and one athlete attending the 1999 games, we have taken significant steps to ensure that this opportunity to represent your country is now available to all winter sport athletes."

 

Team highlights

Curling Silver medallists from the 2007 Torino World University Winter Games John Hamilton and Andrew Craigie will return in an attempt to go one better in Harbin this time round. They are joined by Thomas Pendreigh, Michael Goodfellow and Ian Copland.

Three of the five women's curlers, who came tenth in Torino, return to the squad for Harbin. Sarah Reid, Sarah Macintyre and Laura Kirkpatrick are joined in their quest for glory by sisters Kay & Victoria Adams. 

Since returning from Torino two years ago Sarah Reid has gone onto claim gold in the 2007 World Junior Championship, while juggling her studies at Glasgow Caledonian University.

In the Alpine Ski team Harry Brown joins the squad as the British Under-18 Giant Slalom Champion while Craig Macfie who has been selected on the British Development Ski Team for the last five years, is also among Britain's best medal hopes.

Figure Skater Thomas Paulson returns for his second World University Winter Games, after finishing 21st in Torino 2007 in the men's overall final.

Both the men's and women's British Junior Ice Dance Champions of 2007 join the squad with Nicholas Buckland and Penny Coomes pairing up in the doubles competition.

Nottingham dominates the men's Ice Hockey squad with seven of the twenty athletes studying in the city. 

Stewart Bliss was the first-ever goal scorer for a university GB team in Torino and is back in the squad for 2009. 

Stephen Fone tends goal for the 2007 and 2008 league and cup Champions Coventry Blaze and will try to bring his winning ways to Team GB. 

Robert Lachowicz has appeared in England squads from under 13s to 20s level at World Championships and continues his record with his selection for the Harbin team.

In the women's Ice Hockey squad, National Premier League playoff winner with the Sheffield Shadows, Rachel Butcher flies the GB flag. 

Amanda Carr has tasted international success winning a gold medal with the GB Senior Squad in the third tiered National Division in 2008 while Welsh International Catherine Homolka will use her experience from her Premier League club Cardiff Comets in the squad this year.

Loughborough dominate the Short Track Speed Skating selection with six athletes from a squad of nine studying at the college or university. 

Paul Worth will travel to Harbin straight from the Samsung ISU World Cup in Dresden, Germany where he is competing against the best short track skaters in the world. 

Worth ranks 21st in the world in the men's 2008-09 star class and is the one to watch on the ice for Team GB.

Rebecca Collett is presently sitting at the top of the rankings for the ladies world StarClass for 2008-09 and will be the one to beat in Harbin.

Six students have been selected for the Snowboarding, including Laura Hill, Ivy Taylor and Daniel Breen who have been selected for their second winter games after competing in Torino.

The smallest GB squad in the delegation is the Cross Country Ski team with only two athletes and a coach. 

The 2008 World Junior Champion Simon Spencer and 2005 and 2006 British Champion, Rosamund Musgrave, will both be looking to impress in Harbin.