More wider podiums for GB2

GB2’s strong start to the bobsleigh season continued at the weekend with a brace of wider podium places in Norway. 

Nick Gleeson piloted his crew to fifth-place finishes in both the 2-man and 4-man events in Lillehammer as they returned to Europe following a month-long spell in North America.

The British team were the top-ranked non-German sled in each discipline in what was their first Europa Cup (EC) outing of the season.

Gleeson and Jens Hullah clocked a two-run time of 1 minute 42.88 seconds in Saturday’s 2-man competition to finish 0.48 seconds outside the medals in a race won by Maximillian Illmann in a time of 1.41.81.

GB were the fastest starters in both 2-man heats, setting times of 5.03 and then 5.02 seconds, before coming down fifth fastest overall in each lauf.

Sunday’s 4-man competition saw Hullah joined by Callum Dixon and Luka Williams in Gleeson’s crew and they again finished circa half a second shy of a bronze medal.

Gleeson, Dixon, Hullah and Williams were the fifth quickest off the top in each of their runs in times of 5.07 and then 5.05 seconds, with Gleeson maintaining that position with a fine drive in Run 1 before going marginally slower with the sixth best time in Run 2.

Hans Peter Hanninghofer moved up from fourth place in the 2-man to take gold in the 4-man as Illmann had to settle for silver on Sunday.

The weekend’s results followed a medal-laiden trip to Canada where GB won a pair of 2-man golds and recorded fifth and sixth-place 4-man finishes in North American Cup action in Whistler.

Gleeson and co now head to Altenberg for a double 2-man and single 4-man EC race week in Altenberg, with the events scheduled for December 10, 11 and 13 respectively.