Johnston confirms Vancouver will be his last Olympics

Bobsleigh & Skeleton Winter Sports Post a comment

Posted: Tuesday 24th March 2009 | 15:40

BRITAIN'S No.1 driver Lee Johnston has confirmed next year's Winter Olympics will be his swansong and he's hoping it will be a family affair.

LAST-CHANCE SALOON: Lee Johnston confirms Vancouver will be his last Olympics (Getty Images)

The 36-year-old veteran has booked his place on the plane for Vancouver with younger brother Karl set to follow his lead as one of the three brake men in the four-man bob.

Johnston has already been to three Olympics but has vowed to follow Nicola Minichiello's lead in Canada when he ends his international career.

Minichiello became Britain's first World Champion for 44 years in Lake Placid last month and Johnston, who guided his crew to a 15th place finish at the same event, insists her success has sent a wave of optimism cursing through Team GB.

"Vancouver will be my last Games and I want to make sure I go out on a high," said Johnston.

"As ever in the bobsleigh 100ths of a second separate things and then throw in the fact that it is the Olympics anything can happen so we will go for it.

"The team isn't finalised yet but I'm definitely going and I'm sure Karl will be coming too and it's nice to have somebody who is part of your family there alongside you.

"If you look at the bigger picture we won't have anything more than an outside chance because the best countries like Germany and Russia take three teams each.

"But I have learnt a lot over the past 12 years about myself and the sport and I like to think by now I have got a good recipe for how to win and be successful.

"And Nicola's achievements can only inspire us - it was a fantastic result for British bobsleighing and we have to use that to our advantage."

Minichiello's achievements in the two-man alongside Scotland's Gillian Cooke has given bobsleigh in Britain a much-needed shot in the arm with Johnston revealing the biggest obstacle in his bid to reach Vancouver has been financial.

But after successfully negotiating another season, Johnston is predicting big things next term, he added: "The biggest problem we have faced this year has been getting enough money and finance to compete.

"We have just scraped enough together to get through this season but it hasn't been conducive to getting great results - we are literally on our bare bones budget-wise.

"The good news for us this year has been the BOA telling us that if we qualified the four-man bob that would automatically get the two-man bob a place.

"And that is good because the way the Olympics work is that you have one week of two-man and one week of four-man so it is nice to get an extra ten runs in."

RYAN BANGS