Beijing to Birmingham for Nicoll

Adelé Nicol is all set for a remarkable sporting double when she represents Wales in the Commonwealth Games tomorrow.

Nicoll is aiming for shot put glory in Birmingham less than six months after being part of the Team GB Bobsleigh squad for the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

The 25-year-old competes in the qualifying round at Alexander Stadium from 11am on Tuesday as she looks to make a sensational year even more memorable by securing a place in Wednesday evening’s final at the same venue.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be in the Welsh team for the Commonwealth Games,” said Nicoll, who missed out on the last edition in Australia four years ago but was crowned British Champion in June of this year.

“This one means a lot, especially after not being selected in 2018. I took a knock from that and it was difficult to come back from mentally. 

“I’d say that one of my proudest achievements to date is the way I was able to stand back up on my feet, turn up to training every single day and get through that really tough period in my life and career. To be in the position that I’m in now is a true example of perseverance and determination. I’m proud of myself for making this team.

I had the goal of being at the Winter Olympics in Beijing and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in the same year for a really long time - pretty much since I moved into bobsleigh because the Commonwealth Games had always been my goal.

“Winning the British Championships was a huge confidence boost. It puts me in a great position to go in and be competitive. I don’t see any reason why I can’t go there and potentially bring a medal back to Wales. That’s my aim.”

Adelé Nicoll has made massive strides since taking up bobsleigh in 2020 

Nicoll won World Cup bobsleigh silver with Mica McNeill in January and travelled to China as the team’s reserve athlete but she was back in shot put mode just a week later and is headed to Birmingham in the form of her life.

The former Cardiff Metropolitan student took the British title with a career best throw and she believes that becoming a bobsledder has undoubtedly made her a better shot putter.

“I think my journey in bobsleigh so far has helped me become a better athlete as a whole. It’s made me work incredibly hard and helped me tap into that next level that I needed,” added Nicoll.

“It was a new task and a new goal and I had to put in the work to achieve what I wanted and be at the Olympic Games so I ended up becoming a better athlete all round. I’ve been able to transfer that back into athletics. 

“The benefits weren’t just physical: mentally, bobsleigh showed me that I have the ability to be very disciplined and I’m extremely proud of that. That’s one of my favourite achievements - the power of my mind and my mentality.

I really wanted to prove to myself and to other people that it was possible to succeed in athletics and bobsleigh because I’d noticed from very early on that there were interlinked principles within the two sports: they’re both power events and they both require huge amounts of speed and strength and I really wanted to demonstrate that you could do both. 

“I think I’ve done a good job of that so far and I hope that I’ve opened people’s eyes to that possibility and younger generations can be inspired by what I’ve achieved. I hope there will be more dual athletes moving forward because we shouldn’t be limiting people’s potential.

“My focus is still going to be on both sports - I’m definitely looking at carrying both forwards with me. I’d like to make the Summer Olympics in 2024 and go on to do the Winter Olympics in 2026.”