Lizzy Yarnold has set her sights on defending her skeleton title at the Winter Olympics in 2018 after returning to training with the Great Britain team this week.

The 27-year-old took a year off from the sport shortly after her gold medal success in Sochi, and believes it will work to her advantage as she resumes a gruelling summer fitness regime.

Yarnold said: “Having had last season away from the competition circuit, I do feel incredibly refreshed and a world away from the emotional exhaustion that I was suffering from.

“Having a year to solely focus on training in the gym reminded me of what I love most about my job – challenging yourself physically and mentally to be better than you’ve been.

“I’d like the World Championship trophy back on my mantelpiece and retaining my title at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang is of course in my sights.

“More so than the accolades, I am even more motivated to be a better slider than I was before. I have to prove that, not for others, but for myself.”

Yarnold completed a career Grand Slam of the sport’s four major titles – Olympics, World Championships, World Cup and European Championship – within just 400 days in 2014 and 2015.

In Pyeongchang she will seek to extend Great Britain’s hold on the women’s skeleton title with the 2010 triumph of Amy Williams in Vancouver preceding her own success in Russia.