Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 08:09

Trinidad and Tobago bobsledders slide to extended podium medal

Trinidad and Tobago’s four-man bobsleigh team captured their first extended podium medal after placing a credible fourth and fifth, in separate races, at the North American Cup, which concluded in Whistler, Canada, across November 23-24. Of the 14 competing nations on November 23, TT’s quartet of pilot Axel Brown, Xaverri WIlliams, Shakeel John and De Aundre John clocked 53.60 seconds in the first heat, and an improved 52.89s in the second, to amass a total time of one minute and 46.49s (1:46.49). Their combined time was fifth overall, with Canada (1:45.80) taking top spot, Israel (1:46.02) in second, Jamaica (1:46.05) in an impressive third and hosts Canada (1:46.21) fourth. The following day, TT had a slightly better showing, clocking 53.36s in heat one and 53.05s in heat two, to total 1:46.41. This time, their performance was fourth best, with Jamaicans Shane Pitter, Andrea Dacres, Junior Harris and Tyquendo Tracey topping the field in 1:45.88. Canada claimed second and third in 1:46.19 and 1:46.37, respectively. Their performances saw the four-man team finish just outside of the podium (top-three) but well within the extended podium placings, which go from fourth to sixth. International federations like the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation recognise the top six positions for ranking points, athlete bios, and official result summaries. Only the top three receive medals, but finishing in the top six is still considered a “podium-level result” in extended terms. At the same event, in the two-man bobsleigh on November 21 and 22, Brown and De Aundre placed eighth (1:47.73) on day one, while Brown and Shakeel finished tied for eighth (1:49.29) with New Zealand on the second. After their performances in Canada, Brown was generally pleased with their results, even though their sleds were delayed in shipping, resulting in them losing a full week of training. Speaking on the four-man team’s performance, he said, “We had the highest speed of both races, and some of the fastest single heats. However, we weren't quite able to string those together and get on the podium. Because of the delay, we had to really put the hammer down, so by the end of the racing the entire team was heavily fatigued.” He added that all of these races count towards Winter Olympic qualification, which is calculated on your best 14 results (7x 2-man, and 7x4-man). “We are collecting points which put us in a table with the rest of the world. It's a strong start, and as it stands, we would be qualified, but it's still very early, and certainly far too early to say.” Brown said the team is excited to be back racing in Park City in Utah, describing it as their “favourite track” and the site of that historic first podium in 2024. “We're looking to equal or better that this coming week, where we have a further four races,” Brown said. TT’s spare athlete is Micah Moore, and also on the team is coach Lee Johnston. The post Trinidad and Tobago bobsledders slide to extended podium medal appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.