It’s Teen-GB as Atkin eyes a medal

IZZY ATKIN is going all out to become the latest teenage star turn at the Winter Olympics.

France’s Perrine Laffont, 19, won the women’s moguls skiing and USA’s Chloe Kim, just 17, has become the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding medal with her gold in the halfpipe.

Now Atkin, who is the youngest member of Team GB, is hoping to follow their lead in tomorrow’s freestyle skiing slopestyle.

Born in Boston to an English father and a Malaysian mother, Atkin, 19, started skiing at the age of three.

She was enrolled in a special school in Utah so she could spend four months a year on the slopes and after joining the British programme won World Cup gold and World Championship bronze in her debut senior season last year.

She is now one of the team’s best medal shots, after winning World Cup bronze in Aspen last month.

Inspiring

“My past results are a confidence booster, it’s given me belief I can challenge for a medal,” she said.

“I watched Chloe Kim win gold and it was inspiring. The younger guys really want to push it.”

Elise Christie has vowed not to hold back ahead of this weekend’s short track 1500m after crashing on the final lap of the 500m short track speed skating final and finishing fourth.

“I’ll still be racing fearless,” she said. “I’ve had so much support.”

Eve Muirhead beat China’s Betty Wang with the last delivery on the extra end to keep GB’s women curlers in the medal hunt.

Muirhead’s rink – Vicki Adams, Lauren Gray and Anna Sloan – lost one of their first three games and take on Korea tomorrow. Watch Izzy Atkin go for her medal tomorrow at 4am on Eurosport 2. Don’t miss a moment of the Olympic Winter Games on Eurosport and Eurosport Player. Go to www.Eurosport.co.uk