It’s been almost six months since three-time Winter Olympian Jon Eley decided against hanging up his skates and he’s prepared to add another string to his bow in search of a fourth Games appearance at PyeongChang 2018.
Short track speed skater Eley had the honour of being chosen as Britain’s flagbearer for the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympics earlier this year after previous appearances at Turin 2006 and Vancouver 2010.
Eley was unable to improve on his best finish of fifth in the 500m from Turin eight years previous but he did manage his third top-eight finish at consecutive Games with seventh over the same distance.
He would also end the season among the medals however forming part of Britain’s men’s 5000m relay team that clinched bronze at the World Championships in Montreal.
And with the start of the new campaign just around the corner – the first World Cup of the season takes place in Salt Lake City from November 7-9 – a refreshed Eley is ready to hit the ground running.
But it is not just his own performances that he will be keeping an eye on, with the 30-year-old admitting the chance to offer his experience to the younger members of the team was something that he couldn’t let pass him by.
“I had a good break over the summer and it was a good chance for me to figure out what I wanted for the next couple of years,” he said.
“I still believe there is a great chance for me to improve my record and carry on getting better and better every year so I want to carry on and be in the mix for PyeongChang 2018
“But also as a senior member of the team I hope to help the younger skaters come through. In four years time, I believe we will have such a strong team to pick from.
“It was such a highlight and honour to be the flagbearer in Sochi. It was great to just be a part of the team; the whole environment around the team was so strong and brought the best out of everyone.
“One of the reasons why I stayed on is that there are a lot of promising young guys in the team who I’d like to help out and mentor along the way.”
© Sportsbeat 2014