Winter Olympics 2022 - 'They have got a massive bucket of money' - Team GB pair explain German bobsleigh dominance

ByHarry Latham Coyle

Published 14/02/2022 at 20:08 GMT

Brad Hall and Nick Gleeson sit 11th halfway through the two-man bobsleigh competition at Beijing 2022, making a couple of key errors in each of their first two runs at the Winter Olympics. Three of the top four places are occupied by sleds from the dominant German sliding squad, with Hall and Gleeson explaining afterwards the stark realities of a significant gap in funding.

Brad Hall and Nick Gleeson highlighted the difference in funding between Team GB's Beijing 2022 bobsledders and the dominant German programme after a disappointing first day of two-man bobsleigh competition.

The British duo, regarded as outside contenders for a medal, lie a lacklustre 11th after the first two runs, with the second half of the four-run event to be held tomorrow at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre.

German sleds occupy positions one, two and four, a display of frightening superiority over the rest of the field led by the outstanding Francesco Freidrich and Thorsten Margis.

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The dominant German programme, which took three golds and a silver, is strongly backed financially, enabling them to design and build a superlative sled.

Hall, who will also pilot Team GB's four-man unit, believes that other nations are fighting an uphill battle against the might of the German sliding squad.

"Their two man sleds are definitely far superior to anyone else's," the 31-year-old explained.

Watch pilot Hall and Team GB's crucial second two-man bobsleigh run

"They've definitely got a massive advantage. They pump millions of pounds into their research and development every year.

"Our funding was completely stripped after the 2019 World Championships. So, the last three seasons we've done everything by ourselves. It's really tough.

"This season we've come away with six World Cup medals and we are here trying to compete for medals once again. And I think we've done a fantastic job nevertheless."

Hall and Gleeson finished second behind Friedrich and Margis at a World Cup event in Sigulda in Latvia in January, but the Germans have only underlined their superiority on the World Cup circuit this year.

Of 16 World Cup events across the two and four-man formats, 14 have been won by sleds piloted by the freakish Friedrich.

Gleeson further elaborated on the stark contrast between the support for the Germans and the British twosome, whose funding was cut after finishing fourth at the 2019 World Championships.

"Everyone knows they [Germany] have got a massive bucket of money to dip into. They are right at the top funding wise.

"And obviously teams like us at the bottom are self-funded trying to find sponsors.

"I think everyone's been there at one point in their life, using their own money to find sponsors and get where they need to be.

"I think within the bobsleigh family and the sliding family, everyone knows the hardships and that it's an expensive sport.

"Everybody is willing to help out everyone else and the people that have helped us, we cannot thank them enough."

Britain will hope to capitalise on a track that slowed later on in proceedings on the first day of competitive men's bobsleigh at the 2022 Winter Olympics to push for a top-ten finish.

Hall and then partner Joel Fearon were 12th in Pyeongchang four years ago.

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