Beijing prepares to host the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
Credit: PA Wire/PA Images, Andrew Milligan

Among the 50 athletes selected to compete in the winter Olympics at Beijing, here are three south west Londoners to look out for.

Bobsleigh competitor Montell Douglas who was born in Lewisham has made Olympic history as the first British woman to compete in both summer and winter games. She said “It’s been great to represent women and that was something that I really wanted to achieve”. The gender gap in Beijing is the smallest ever with women accounting for 47.25% of the program.

Douglas previously competed in the 100m in Beijing in 2018. She took up Bobsleigh in 2018 and will be competing for the two-woman team from February 18.

Another bobsleigh hopeful is Nick Gleeson, from Epsom, who is part of the Bobsleigh team. He is a member of the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment, which is where he got his first taste of the sport. He was also the youngest Briton to ever compete in Bobsleigh at the Olympic games back in 2018 when he was 21.

 

Montell Douglas reacts following the Women’s 4x100m Relay final during the Commonwealth Games at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

The third Londoner is English-Canadian, Notting Hill-raised Lilah Fear, who is already a renowned figure skater with multiple accolades. The 22-year-old will be competing in figure skating with her partner, Lewis Gibson. She is a two-time Grand Prix bronze medallist and a three-time challenger medallist.

Bronze medalists Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Britain pose for photos after competing in the Ice Dance Free Dance at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating NHK Trophy competition in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)