LAURA Deas is hoping her consistency this season will serve her well as she bids to continue Team GB’s proud run in women’s skeleton at the Winter Olympics.

The Melksham slider kept herself firmly on track for next month’s Games in Pyeongchang with another top-10 World Cup finish last week and remains fifth in the global rankings, with compatriot and Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold in 14th spot.

Deas came eighth and Yarnold 19th in Altenberg in a race won by current World Cup points leader, Jacqueline Loelling. The penultimate of eight rounds was taking place at St Moritz, Switzerland, this morning.

“Races throw all kinds of unexpected distractions at you, so the fact I’ve been consistent this season is what I’m most excited about,” said Deas.

“I’ve put down two good runs in a race, rather than one or one and a half. Each time I go out and do that my confidence builds and I believe that I can do it again.

“I need to do well in the World Cups to qualify for the Olympics and those races are my opportunity to slide and do well so that I’m ready for the Olympics if and when the time comes.

“Every time I race I’m trying to refine my strategy and learn more about my equipment so it’s all building towards the end goal. But I can’t get too ahead of myself because at each World Cup I’m competing against the best in the world, so if I think too far ahead and don’t focus on the week in hand then I could lose out.”

The World Cup season concludes in Konigssee, Germany, on January 19, after which there is a three-week turnaround for those picked for the Winter Olympics, which open in South Korea on February 9.

National number one Deas, 29, looks almost certain to make the cut this time, having missed out on the chance to make her Games debut when Yarnold and Pewsey’s Shelley Rudman qualified ahead of her for the Games in Sochi four years ago.

Yarnold’s triumph there ensured Britain’s record of winning a women’s skeleton medal at every Winter Olympics since it was added to the programme in 2002 continued. Although Deas has not stood on a World Cup podium for just over two years, the success of the national programme at the highest level means it would be foolish to write off her chances should her selection be rubber-stamped.

“I’m feeling quite confident I should be going but obviously with the nature of sport and racing – particularly extreme sport – you’re never 100 per cent sure what will happen,” said Deas.

“The whole Olympic cycle is building towards that one performance at the Games. I’m trying to work out how best to compete each time I race so in a sense, if I try something new, it’s a risk. Ultimately I need to find out what is going to make me go fastest at the Olympics.

“I’m really pleased that results this season have shown things are going in the right direction and that we’re getting there.”