Winter Olympics: Final days of competition

There was disappointment for team GB in the final few days of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics as they failed to add to their medal tally of one.

Two-woman bobsleigh team Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke went into the contest as defending World Champions and had high hopes of a podium finish. They placed 10th after their first two runs, but when they crashed in the third their title challenge was over.

Even though they managed to cross the line, Gillian Cooke had picked up an injury and the sled was too damaged to continue.

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Nicola Minichiello said, “We’re devastated by what happened, because so much of our focus has been on these Games. It’s a tough track, but that’s no excuse because it’s the same for everyone.”

In the same event, Olympic debutants Paula Walker and Kelly Thomas managed to fare better, finishing in a respectable 11th position.

Alpine skier Chemmy Alcott rounded off a busy Olympics with a 27th place finish in the giant slalom event. She finished with a time of 1:12.41 – 2.83 seconds behind Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg who took gold.

“I felt like I really knocked the door down. I didn’t really make a mistake, I just skied too hard,” said Alcott. “I’m disappointed because it just didn’t happen.

“It was a bit of a bad day at the office. Everybody has them, but you just don’t want it at the Olympics.”

Chemmy also competed in the slalom event but on a tough course failed to finish.

Throughout this year’s Games she has competed in all five women’s Alpine events, equalling her best ever Olympic performance when she finished 11th in the combined event.

Rachel Stansfield, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine