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. 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 the biathlon at the 1972 Winter Olympics. Biathlon is a sport that mixes skiing and shooting. Athletes ski and then stop to shoot at targets.

The men competed in races and a relay. In the relay, four athletes skied together, and each had to shoot at targets during their turn.

¹ If they almost missed a target, one extra minute was added. If they missed completely, two extra minutes were added.

² For each missed target, athletes had to ski an extra loop of 200 metres.

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 teams raced down an icy track in fast sleds.

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 in Sapporo, Japan, athletes from Great Britain competed in cross-country skiing. These events tested skiers' skills in long races across snowy areas.

The races were for both men and women, each with their own courses. The results are kept in the official Olympic records.

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 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 in Sapporo, Japan, athletes from Great Britain competed in 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