Ice dancers confirm Olympic selection

NSWIS ice dancers Danielle O’Brien and Greg Merriman became the first athletes selected to the Australian Olympic team contesting the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

Having skated together since 1998, O’Brien and Merriman will make their Olympic debut in Sochi after finishing sixth overall at the qualification tournament earlier this year.

The pair missed out on selection for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games after Merriman fell ill on the eve of the qualification tournament, and after four years of waiting they are reading to take to the Olympic ice.

“Our goal for Sochi is to make the free dance, which means we need a top-20 result in the short dance. With this goal in mind we have been really focusing on our short dance so that we can put ourselves in the best possible position to qualify.

“Then we just want to have a fun and great performance in the free because this will combine with our technical strength to give us a great result. Making the top 15 to 20 is a realistic goal for us.”

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games take place in Sochi, Russia from February 7-23.