Great Britain performance director: 'Elise Christie will need luck'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter

Published: February 17 2014 | 13:33

Last updated: February 18 2014 | 11:53

Elise Christie will need luck on her side if she is to win a medal in the 1,000m speed skating event, according to Team GB performance director Stuart Horsepool.

Great Britain performance director Stuart Horsepool has admitted that speed skater Elise Christie will need to have luck on her side in order to win a medal at Sochi.

Christie, who was disqualified in both of her previous events at the Games, competes in the 1,000m heats on Tuesday.

"She's a tough cookie, she's got that Scottish grit," Horsepool is quoted as saying by BBC Sport when asked of Christie's mindset going into the event. "Sport can be cruel sometimes. We still have opportunities to get something from the Games.

"We have been posting some really fast times in training and we have confidence we can produce our best performances. I am as confident [in Elise] now as when the Games started, but short track is unpredictable. She's in the best shape of her life but she's got to have luck too."

Christie announced earlier this week that she had been the victim of cyber-bullying.