GUEST BLOG: BOA chief executive Andy Hunt

WE ARE nearing the one year anniversary of an accomplishment that thrilled Great Britain: the gold medal performance of Amy Williams in skeleton at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

CELEBRATION: British Olympic Association chief executive Andy Hunt pyas tribute to Great Britain’s continued skeleton success (Getty Images)

As with Shelley Rudman’s silver medal at the 2006 Torino Olympic Winter Games, Amy’s race to the podium was the culmination of years of training and sacrifice.

Twelve months on, we should all be proud to see that Great Britain’s skeleton athletes are continuing to deliver outstanding results on the world stage.

Last weekend in Germany, Shelley became European Champion for the second time, with Amy and Donna Creighton placing third and sixth respectively.

Shelley is currently second in the World Cup rankings, having finished in the top two in five out of the six races so far this season.

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Amy’s return to competitive form has been equally remarkable, having moved from a 12th place finish in her first race of the season (14 January in Igls, Austria) to a top five just one week later.

On the men’s side, Kristan Bromley is joined by fellow Brits Chris Type and Andy Wood in the top 13 of the current FIBT rankings.

This level of consistency is extraordinary. While I was thrilled to witness Amy’s inspirational win in Whistler last year, equally impressive is the talent and depth that the British squad brings to the track each weekend. A year on, they’re still at the top of their game.

Despite the absence of an ice track in the UK, Team GB sliders have secured medals at the last three Olympics.

Their consistency and success is no accident. In the first place, they have talented and determined athletes.

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Secondly, they have excellent coaches who guide the athletes with a commitment to continuous improvement. Finally, they have the funding necessary to meet their goals.

Put these three parts of the equation together in any Olympic sport and you have the blueprint for success. I congratulate all involved at British Skeleton and wish them well for the World Championships next month.

For summer-sport athletes, this year is critical as they enter the final full season of competition before the Olympic year is upon us.

There are many major international championships to look forward to in 2011, including the Track Cycling World Championships (23-27 March, Holland), Swimming and Diving World Championships (16-31 July, China) and the Athletics World Championships (27 August- 4 September, Korea).

I for one can’t wait to see which athletes make their big breakthrough and which sports up their game to reach new levels of performance in 2011.

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While the athletes are in action on the world stage, we all have a chance to get a taste of what Olympic sport is all about by participating in the Gold Challenge initiative that was launched in London in November 2010 and in Scotland last week.

The scheme provides people of all ages and abilities throughout the UK with the opportunity to experience and enjoy Olympic sports first-hand, while raising £20m for charity by the end of 2012.

The staff here at the BOA have given it their full backing, organising themselves into teams and aiming to complete a minimum of ten sports each while raising money for a variety of worthy charities. If you’re not already involved, I urge you to visit www.goldchallenge.org and become a part of this fantastic project.

Finally, I’d like to wish the ‘Best of British’ to Andy Murray as he aims to win his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open this weekend. Come on Andy, you can do it!

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