Heart-broken Minichiello crashes in third bobsleigh run

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Posted: Thursday 25th February 2010 | 3:09

BRITISH bobsleigh champions Nicola Minichiello and Gillian Cooke have crashed in their third run at the Whistler Sliding Centre, crushing their slim hopes of reaching the medals in Vancouver.

CRESTFALLEN: Nicola Minichiello cuts a forlorn figure after a crash in her third run in Whistler (Getty Images)

Minichiello and Cooke, who captured world gold in Lake Placid, had plenty of work to do after the first two runs and were lying tenth, 1.38 behind Canadian leaders Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse.

And in their third run they suffered a nasty-looking crash with Minichiello thumping her head on the ice before sliding down into 16th place, a full 4.40 seconds behind the Canadians, who went on to take gold, ahead of compatriots Helen Upperton and Shelley-Ann Brown.

Minichiello, broken-hearted but with no serious injuries, has confirmed she will not take part in the fourth and final run had to be consoled by British Olympic Association director of elite performance Sir Clive Woodward.

It brings a disappointing end to a miserable year for Minichiello, who has suffered tumultuous Olympic preparations.

At the end of the year she suffered an eye injury and underwent two bouts of surgery and admitted her vision was at just 70 per cent, two weeks before the start of the Games.

The duo also had to deal with the unwanted publicity of the hit You Tube video which showed Cooke's suit ripping and exposing her backside at the start of their run in St Moritz last month.

And their bid to add Olympic gold to their world title has now ended in catastrophe.

"It was all too much for us, and as soon as we set off we knew," said a tearful Minichiello.

"I'm just so sorry for everyone who supported us. We really went for it and it just didn't pay off.

"I'm devastated. We still believed, even after yesterday. We knew we had to push it, but unfortunately it didn't pay off.

"We hit corner one again, but the rest of the run was going pretty well until we made a mistake going into 11.

"We didn't do our fourth run today because Gillian hurt her leg in the crash and because the sled was damaged.

"We're so upset by what happened, because so much of our focus has been on these Games.

"It's a tough track, but that's no excuse because it's the same for everyone."

Meanwhile, as Cathleen Martini and Romy Logsch of Germany, among the pre-race favourites in Vancouver, also crashed in their third run, Paula Walker and Kelly Thomas, Great Britain's second sled, ended up 11th.

"Overall I'm pretty happy," said Walker. "The first run of the competition was OK and the second one was fantastic. I wasn't very pleased with the third one but it has hard following Nicola and Gillian and then I'm happy enough with my fourth.

"After all this is my first Olympics. I really wanted a top ten finish but I was pretty close. Hopefully this will bring about a bit more funding and then roll on Sochi.

"In another four years after plenty of hard work and hopefully more funding I'm hoping the results will be sky high."

AS IT HAPPENS: Day 13 of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver