The British Olympic Association (BOA) today announced that six figure skaters have been officially selected for Team GB for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The six athletes join the male and female curling teams already selected, bringing the total Team GB size to 16.
Winter Olympian Jenna McCorkell is 11 times British Champion and the single most successful female ice skater ever to hail from Northern Ireland.
She was the youngest ever skater to make it onto the national squad at ten years of age. Now 27, she has remained there for her entire competitive career.
Penny Coomes and Nick Buckland, both 24, train in the USA under two times Olympic Champion, Evgeny Platov. They are the current British Ice Dance Champions and placed 6th at the European Championships in 2011. Coomes and Buckland competed at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Bucklands recently had surgery after being diagnosed with tachycardia - a form of arrhythmia, a condition in which the heart beats faster than normal.
Stacey Kemp, 25, and David King, 29, are the nine times British Champions and in 2010 became the first Team GB Pair to qualify and go to an Olympic Winter Games for 16 years. They train at Southwest Florida Figure Skating Club under the tutelage of Lyndon Johnson, Jim Peterson and Alison Smith. Kemp and King have qualified and competed at seven European and World Championships.
Matthew Parr is a three-time senior British National Champion and Sochi 2014 will be his Olympic debut. He is the men’s representative in the Team Event.
Commented Sochi 2014 Team GB Chef de Mission Mike Hay:
Annie Veck, Team GB Figure Skating Team Leader:
Jenna McCorkell said:
Nick Buckland said:
Penny Coomes said:
David King:
Stacey Kemp said:
Matthew Parr said: