GB gold medallists named as Winter Olympics flagbearers at closing ceremony

Gold medallists Matt Weston and Charlotte Bankes have been named Team GB’s flagbearers for the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

Weston has been the star of this Games, becoming the first British man to ever win skeleton gold, before backing that up with a second gold in the mixed team event alongside Tabby Stoecker.

Those two Olympic titles make him the most successful British male Winter Olympian in history.

That second gold came on ‘Super Sunday’, when four-time Olympian Bankes recovered from an agonising quarter-final exit in the individual event to seal her first Olympic gold alongside Huw Nightingale in another mixed event, this time in snowboard cross.

Bankes and Nightingale’s gold was Britain’s first ever on snow.

Bankes said: “To be asked to carry the flag is a dream come true and feels like a moment for our entire snowboard cross team. We have made history for our sport, and I will be walking out there carrying it for everyone who has been part of that journey.

“I am so proud to be part of Team GB and I hope the past few weeks encourage the British public and the next generation to see a glimpse of what is possible in winter sport.”

Weston added: “The team have done everyone at home proud. We’ve got some amazing athletes here and they’ve shown the world what we’re made of.

“I’m very proud to be part of such a talented team - one that I hope has inspired lots of people back home.”

The Closing Ceremony will take place on Sunday in the Arena of Verona from 7.30pm GMT.

GB leave Milano-Cortina having amassed their best-ever haul at a Winter Olympics, with five medals equalling the totals from Sochi and Pyeongchang, although with three golds significantly outstripping one apiece in 2014 and 2018.

Bruce Mouat’s men’s curling rink took silver in the final, losing to Canada, while Zoe Atkin added a final medal with bronze in Sunday’s women’s half-pipe final.

Atkin’s bronze took GB up to a record 24 top-10 places in one Games, 15 more than the next best in Sochi.

Britain also picked up a record five fourth places, reflecting a Games of near-misses as well as successes: freeskier Kirsty Muir finished just off the podium twice, as did snowboarder Mia Brookes, mixed doubles curlers Mouat and Jen Dodds, and GB’s second pair of Freya Tarbit and Marcus Wyatt in the mxied skeleton event.