![]() It appears that while other nations stepped up their progress, Britain simply stood still. Similarly Weston bombed out in Beijing, despite ending a 14-year wait for a men's World Cup gold in the autumn. But while it delivered Wyatt a silver at November's test event, he was unable to get anywhere near the medals last week. There were no brand new sleds unwrapped specifically, instead tweaks were made to individualised ones used over the course of the season. On the eve of the Games, performance director Natalie Dunman, had said the organisation had centred its four-year planning around peaking for the Olympics. They had again engaged the services of the English Institute of Sport - and the same minds who helped British Cycling dominate the summer Games - but glaringly obvious limitations in Beijing have left even British Skeleton scratching their heads. In previous Games, Britain had drawn envious looks - to the point of unfounded accusations of cheating - over their scientific advancements in helmet, skin suit and sled technology. But the most glaring limitation appeared to be the sleds, which at times made the Britons look like iced sitting ducks.ĭeas' father hit out on Twitter, saying the athletes' speed was being "haemorrhaged by the kit" while John Jackson, bobsleigh bronze medallist in 2014, said that whoever was making decisions over technical development had "gone the wrong way."ĭisappointed British Skeleton staff accept mistakes have been made and are braced for difficult questions during the usual post-Games debrief. There are mitigating factors, Deas herself referencing the impact of Covid, which wiped out opportunities for training camps abroad and invaluable time on ice. I don't have the answer."Īs much as British Skeleton chiefs will feel for Deas - at 33 she is likely to have slid in an Olympics for the last time - they will also be sweating over the financial repercussions.Ī victim of their own success, results at the last Olympics enabled them to receive £6.4m in funding from UK Sport this cycle, the second highest of all sports Britain is contesting in Beijing. Obviously the speed that I so desperately want is not there, and there's nothing I can do about that now, it's done. "That's probably one of the best runs I've ever done down these tracks. "I'm sorry I couldn't deliver something better for you," she said, breaking down in tears addressing friends and family back home. The latter did not even do enough to earn a final run, the only sliders slower than her coming from Korea, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.įor Deas, a bronze medallist four years ago, the suffering endured competing on sleds that British Skeleton themselves accept were not up to scratch, was plain to see. But that run came to a shuddering halt in China, Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt finishing 15th and 16th respectively in the men's event before Laura Deas and Brogan Crowley placed 19th and 22nd in Saturday's women's race. ![]() ![]() Gold had been taken at the last three Games with a podium finish at every Olympics for the last 20 years. Medal-winning success of one of GB's best-funded winter sports has come to a shuddering halt in China this weekīritish skeleton, one of the nation's best funded winter sports, is facing a brutal Olympic post-mortem after its medal-winning athletes were reduced to helpless back-markers in Beijing, and a row erupted over equipment.ĭespite not boasting an actual ice track, Britain had established itself as a surprise Olympic skeleton powerhouse. British skeleton's shambolic showing at Winter Olympics descends into 'slow sleds' row
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