Gillian Cooke's long jump to bobsleigh glory

Athletics Bobsleigh & Skeleton Post a comment

Posted: Wednesday 25th February 2009 | 8:58

THERE was a time when sporting partnerships were forged by trials, auditions and years of hard training.

ALL CHANGE: Gillian Cooke, competing for Scotland at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, is now Britain's best hope of Winter Olympic gold (Getty Images)

Now you just advertise on Facebook and ride the information superhighway's algorithm's to gold.

Six months ago Gillian Cooke had never seen a bobsleigh track - and now she's a world champion, thanks, in part, to the social networking site.

Driver Nicola Minicheillo was looking for a new breakman with an athletics background and was trawling the internet for inspiration.

Athletics has a long tradition of providing bobsleigh's startline power, speed and muscle.

British sprinter Lenny Paul competed in four Winter Olympics while Allyn Condon, a 4x100m gold medalist 1998 European Championships and 2002 Commonwealth Games, is part of the current set-up.

"I spotted the message on Facebook and was instantly intrigued," said Cooke.

"I'd had a really frustrating summer with my athletics. I'd been injured and nothing was seeming to improve with my long jump.

"I had no idea if the foot injury would get better, so I figured there was nothing to lose."

Minichiello and Cooke's success in Lake Placid means they'll travel to next year's Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver as strong medal contenders.

Britain last won a bobsleigh Olympic medal at the 1998 Nagano Games and you'd need to go back to 1964 in Innsbruck, when Tony Nash and Robin Dixon, also the last British world champions in 1965, won gold.

"I've always enjoyed a wide range of sports and considered myself adaptable," added Cooke, who holds an 11.86 second personal best for 100m.

"In many ways I think I've been working to this moment for the last 20 years, without even realising it.

"I've never really been satisfied to be the best in Scotland or the even best in Britain.

"When you get into sport you want to win on the world stage, at big events like Olympics and World Championships.

"I've always dreamed about it, I just didn't expect it to be in the bobsleigh!"

Cooke's decision to switch sports has cost her athletics funding - and a likely appearance in a third Commonwealth Games in Delhi next October.

"You can't be funded in two sports, so I'm not sure about next year and at the moment my focus is on bobsleigh," she added.