Dame Katherine Grainger ‘not panicking yet’ about GB’s lack of medals in Beijing

UK Sport chair Dame Katherine Grainger said she was “not panicking yet” after Team GB suffered more Winter Olympics disappointment in Beijing.

Big medal hope and reigning world champion Charlotte Bankes was eliminated from the women’s snowboard-cross at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday.

Great Britain’s curling mixed doubles pair Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat, also current world champions, missed out on a medal on Tuesday and, after day five, Team GB remained without a podium finish.

Grainger told the PA news agency: “We still have high hopes for the men’s and women’s curling teams, we’ve got the skeleton still to come, plenty more on the snow, so I think we’ll still see Team GB deliver.

“We’re only day five. I was out in Pyeongchang (in 2018) and it was day seven before we saw a medal, so we’re not panicking yet.

“There’s plenty more to come. I do think we’ll see some great results coming. We’ve got a range of hopes across snow and ice over the two weeks.

“Yes, of course Charlotte and the mixed curling were two of our favourites, both reigning world champions, so that leads to big expectation.

“But Olympic sport is unpredictable and comes down to these incredibly tight moments that will decide your medal position or otherwise.”

UK Sport set a target of between three and seven medals at the Games, having formed a Beijing Support Fund, which gave significant sums to non-Lottery-funded sports.

Team GB delivered five medals at both Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018, and Grainger switched her focus to later events in Beijing.

She said: “Of course it’s disappointing for those athletes and they will have wanted better, but the curlers have got more opportunities ahead.

“There’s two very important bits to mention about the