Condon's bid to be Summer and Winter Olympian under threat

ALLYN Condon is only too aware his is drinking in the last chance saloon this weekend as he bids to become the first British Summer and Winter Olympian in eight years.

AGAINST THE CLOCK: Allyn Condon knows it's now or never as he bids to compete at both the Summer and Winter Olympics (Getty Images)

The 35-year-old was a member of the British sprint relay squad at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and is a member of the GB1 four-man bobsleigh crew with next month's Winter Olympics in Vancouver beckoning.

Condon battled through a back injury to aid Lee Johnston qualify a British spot at the Olympics last season but some below-par recent form, coupled with some impressive results from GB2 sled, led by John James Jackson, ensures Condon's place on the plane to Vancouver is far from guaranteed.

Johnston is currently just 50 points ahead of Jackson in the overall World Cup standings this season with races in St Moritz and Igls to come before the British Olympic Association finalise their Vancouver squad on January 26.

Condon, a 2002 Commonwealth sprint relay champion, was absent from the latest World Cup in Koenigssee with a leg injury, but will be back for the trips to Switzerland and Austria this month.

Marcus Adam, the 200m Commonwealth champion in 1990, was the last Brit to compete the Summer and Winter Games, having been part of the sprint relay squad at Barcelona 1992 ,before joining Johnston in the two-man bob at Salt Lake City in 2002.

And Condon knows it's a case of now or never if he is to follow suit.

"Although we have not had the best of starts to the season, except a couple of third places in the Europa Cup, we will improve going into the Games," Condon told the Warrington Guardian.

"From this week we are able to strip all the weight out of our sled as we have a new crew member who is heavier.

"This means we will now be able to push the same weight sled as the rest of the world, something we have never done before.

"We are also looking at getting a new sled and quality runners going into the Games which is going to give us a boost as well, so we are still targeting a top-six finish.

"My back injury from last season seems to have gone now but I am suffering from recurring cramps in my hamstring at the moment."

In 2007, Britain's four-man bob featuring Condon, achieved its highest ever finish of fifth at the World Championships in St Moritz, while last season the quartet finished their World Cup campaign in 14th.