Great Britain at the 1972 Winter Olympics

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland competed as Great Britain at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. This was an important event where athletes from many countries came together to compete in winter sports. The Winter Olympics are held every four years, and in 1972, Sapporo welcomed athletes to compete in events like skiing, ice skating, and curling. For Great Britain, taking part in these games was a chance to show their skills and support their country's team on the international stage.

Alpine skiing

Main article: Alpine skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics

Great Britain sent athletes to compete in alpine skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. The events included slalom races for both men and women.

Men's slalom

Women

Athlete	Event	Race 1		Race 2		Total
Athlete	Event	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Iain Finlayson	Downhill					2:06.50	50
Konrad Bartelski						2:02.71	43
Alex Mapelli-Mozzi						2:00.28	37
Royston Varley						1:58.53	33
Alex Mapelli-Mozzi	Giant Slalom	DSQ	–	–	–	DSQ	–
Konrad Bartelski		DNF	–	–	–	DNF	–
Iain Finlayson		1:45.88	46	DNF	–	DNF	–
Royston Varley		?	41	DNF	–	DNF	–

Athlete	Classification		Final
Athlete	Time	Rank	Time 1	Rank	Time 2	Rank	Total	Rank
Iain Finlayson	DSQ	–	1:06.86	40	1:03.69	28	2:10.55	28
Konrad Bartelski	DSQ	–	DNF	–	–	–	DNF	–
Alex Mapelli-Mozzi	DSQ	–	DNF	–	–	–	DNF	–
Royston Varley	DNF	–	1:06.31	38	1:01.54	24	2:07.85	26

Athlete	Event	Race 1		Race 2		Total
Athlete	Event	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Carol Blackwood	Downhill					1:44.61	38
Divina Galica						1:41.58	26
Gina Hathorn						1:41.42	25
Valentina Iliffe						1:41.36	23
Carol Blackwood	Giant Slalom					1:43.96	35
Valentina Iliffe						1:36.68	26
Gina Hathorn						1:33.57	14
Divina Galica						1:32.72	7
Carol Blackwood	Slalom	DNF	–	–	–	DNF	–
Valentina Iliffe		DNF	–	–	–	DNF	–
Divina Galica		51.13	22	49.37	13	1:40.50	15
Gina Hathorn		48.72	14	47.46	8	1:36.18	11

Biathlon

Main article: Biathlon at the 1972 Winter Olympics

Great Britain sent athletes to compete in the biathlon events at the 1972 Winter Olympics. Biathlon combines skiing and shooting, where athletes must ski through a course and stop to shoot at targets. If they miss a target, they have to ski extra distance as a penalty.

The men competed in both individual events and a relay race. In the relay, teams of four skied together, and each had to shoot at targets during their turn.

¹ One minute was added for a close miss, and two minutes for a complete miss.

² Athletes had to ski a 200-metre loop for each missed target.

Event	Athlete	Time	Penalties	Adjusted time ¹	Rank
20 km	Malcolm Hirst	1'20:55.59	14	1'34:55.59	53
	Alan Notley	1'21:48.72	7	1'28:48.72	43
	Jeffrey Stevens	1'19:28.95	4	1'23:28.95	26
	Keith Oliver	1'17:40.31	3	1'20:40.31	11

Athletes	Race
Athletes	Misses ²	Time	Rank
Malcolm Hirst Keith Oliver Jeffrey Stevens Alan Notley	5	2'01:38.84	11

Bobsleigh

Main article: Bobsleigh at the 1972 Winter Olympics

Great Britain sent athletes to compete in bobsleigh at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. The event featured several teams racing down an icy track in sleds built for speed.

Sled	Athletes	Event	Run 1		Run 2		Run 3		Run 4		Total
Sled	Athletes	Event	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
GBR-1	John Evelyn Peter Clifford	Two-man	1:18.60	19	1:17.23	15	1:15.80	19	1:17.38	19	5:09.01	20
GBR-2	John Hammond Michael Sweet	Two-man	1:18.09	15	1:18.18	19	1:15.71	18	1:14.98	10	5:06.96	17

Sled	Athletes	Event	Run 1		Run 2		Run 3		Run 4		Total
Sled	Athletes	Event	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
GBR-1	John Evelyn Mike Freeman Gomer Lloyd Michael Sweet	Four-man	1:12.83	16	1:13.65	17	1:12.55	15	1:12.00	13	4:51.03	16
GBR-2	John Hammond Jackie Price Alan Jones Peter Clifford	Four-man	1:13.00	17	1:12.49	12	1:12.72	16	1:12.25	15	4:50.46	15

Cross-country skiing

Main article: Cross-country skiing at the 1972 Winter Olympics

In the 1972 Winter Olympics held in Sapporo, Japan, athletes from Great Britain took part in cross-country skiing events. These events tested the skills of skiers in long-distance races across snowy landscapes.

The competition included races for both men and women, each with their own courses and challenges. The results of these races are recorded in the official records of the Olympics.

Event	Athlete	Race
Event	Athlete	Time	Rank
15 km	Harold Tobin	56:05.05	61
	Peter Strong	54:41.99	60
	Terence Palliser	54:11.98	59
30 km	Terence Palliser	1'54:39.41	55
30 km	Keith Oliver	1'54:10.60	45

Event	Athlete	Race
Event	Athlete	Time	Rank
5 km	Frances Lütken	19:40.17	42
10 km	Frances Lütken	40:02.73	39

Figure skating

Main article: Figure skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics

Figure skating was one of the events at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. Competitors from many countries, including Great Britain, took part in three categories: men's singles, women's singles, and pairs.

Athlete	CF	FS	Points	Places	Rank
John Curry	8	12	2512.2	85	11
Haig Oundjian	9	7	2538.8	65	7

Athlete	CF	FS	Points	Places	Rank
Jean Scott	9	11	2436.8	101	11

Athletes	SP	FS	Points	Places	Rank
Linda Connolly Colin Taylforth	14	14	360.6	126	14

Luge

Main article: Luge at the 1972 Winter Olympics

Great Britain sent athletes to compete in luge events at the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan. The luge events included both individual races and a doubles race for men.

(Men's) Doubles

Athlete	Run 1		Run 2		Run 3		Run 4		Total
Athlete	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Rupert Deen	59.21	43	59.65	44	58.10	44	58.58	43	3:55.54	43
Richard Liversedge	57.38	42	57.08	43	55.71	43	56.32	42	3:46.49	42
Jeremy Palmer-Tomkinson	57.23	41	55.59	38	55.36	42	55.43	41	3:43.61	40
Jonnie Woodall	55.11	29	55.21	33	54.78	38	55.05	38	3:40.15	34

Athletes	Run 1		Run 2		Total
Athletes	Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Stephen Marsh Jonnie Woodall	46.77	18	47.05	19	1:33.82	19
Michel de Carvalho Jeremy Palmer-Tomkinson	47.09	20	47.50	20	1:34.59	20

Speed skating

Main article: Speed skating at the 1972 Winter Olympics

In the 1972 Winter Olympics held in Sapporo, Japan, athletes from Great Britain took part in the speed skating events for men. The competition tested their skills and speed on the ice.

Event	Athlete	Race
Event	Athlete	Time	Rank
500 m	David Hampton	42.59	24
1500 m	John Blewitt	2:18.96	37
1500 m	David Hampton	2:14.60	29
5000 m	John Blewitt	8:16.75	26
5000 m	David Hampton	8:07.85	22
10,000 m	John Blewitt	16:51.50	23
10,000 m	David Hampton	16:39.01	20