Brad Hall and Mica McNeill have been selected as the Team GB bobsleigh pilots at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, but Greg Rutherford and Lamin Deen miss out.
Great Britain confirmed their teams on Thursday (20 January), with 2008 Olympian Montell Douglas joining McNeill on the the women’s team.
“I am very excited to get onto the plane to Beijing next week for my second Olympic Games!” said McNeill, who finished eighth at PyeongChang 2018 and also won Youth Olympic silver in Innsbruck in 2012. Adele Nicoll will travel as an alternate.
On the men's team there is no room for Olympic champion long jumper Greg Rutherford. He had been aiming to qualify as part of Lamin Deen’s 4-man bob. They struggled to achieve official qualification times and also missed out on the reallocation slots. Their exclusion from the official announcement was expected.
Rutherford is aged 35 and has suffered from a shoulder injury during the qualification period.
Instead, Team GB with be represented in the men’s 4-man bobsleigh by pilot Brad Hall plus his regular crew of Greg Cackett, Nick Gleeson, and Taylor Lawrence. Ben Simons will travel as a reserve.
Team leader and Sochi 2014 bronze medallist, Bruce Tasker, said, “The pandemic has thrown the teams huge challenges but the resolve and determination of the athletes has been inspiring. No hope has been lost and these teams that are already at a disadvantage with no home track to practice on continue to challenge for and win medals on the global stage. I am immensely proud of each and every one of them.”
The British men's 4-man team are genuine medal contenders. They are ranked fourth in the world heading into Beijing 2022 after making the podium at three World Cup events.
Hall and Gleeson will also take part in the 2-Man event at the Games, which take place in February.
Team GB Bobsledders selected to compete at Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games
Men's 2-Man
Brad Hall
Nick Gleeson
Alternate: Greg Cackett
Men's 4-man
Brad Hall
Taylor Lawrence
Nick Gleeson
Greg Cackett
Alternate: Ben Simons
Women’s
Mica McNeill
Montell Douglas
Alternate: Adele Nicoll