Golden ticket /Speed skating hopeful Christie flies out to Pyeongchang

Gold medal hopeful Elise Christie was among the first group of Team GB athletes who departed yesterday for the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

The Scottish short-track speed-skating star arrived at Heathrow Airport for a flight to the Games in Pyeongchang.

Livingston’s Christie was infamously disqualified from all three of her events at Sochi four years ago but won three golds – the 1,000m and 1,500m as well as overall – at last year’s World Championships in Rotterdam.

The Great Britain squad will be the largest the country has sent to a Winter Games, with 59 athletes selected to compete.

Team GB will be hoping to surpass their best-ever return of four medals – at Chamonix in 1924 and in Sochi – at the Games from 9-25 February.