Great Britain Bobsleigh pilot John Jackson has announced his retirement after a decade-long career at the top of the sport. The 39-year-old Royal Marine has enjoyed huge success with his country since joining the programme in 2006 but has now decided to focus on family life after the birth of twins last month. Twice an Olympian in 2010 and 2014, Jackson - who trained on the unique outdoor push-track at the University of Bath -...
Olympic Champion Lizzy Yarnold has her sights set on more success after returning to training with her Great Britain Skeleton team-mates at the University of Bath. Yarnold completed the career Grand Slam of Olympic, World Championship, World Cup and European Championship gold before taking time away from the circuit last season. The 27-year-old decided that a break from competition would be the best way to recharge her batteries ahead of the next Winter Olympics in...
University of Bath-based GB Skeleton slider David Swift has announced his retirement from the sport after almost a decade representing his country on the international stage. The 31-year-old from Devon joined the GB programme in 2006 and has featured in more than 80 senior races, including two World Championships. A winner of the overall Intercontinental Cup (ICC) competition in 2015, the former sprinter was consistently one of the fastest starters in the world and was...
University of Bath PhD student Dom Parsons recorded another top-ten finish at the Skeleton World Championships in Igls, Austria. Parsons (pictured), who has recently recovered from an ankle injury, was tenth after the first day of competition and maintained that position with the seventh and 12th best runs respectively in heats three and four. It was the third time the Mechanical Engineering student, who is supported by the University’s Dual Career programme, had finished in...
The University of Bath-based British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association is celebrating its best two-man bobsleigh result on the global stage for 50 years. Bruce Tasker and Joel Fearon finished fourth at the World Championships in Igls, Austria on Sunday, just two-tenths of a second outside the medal places. The result was all the more impressive as it was Tasker’s first appearance at a World Championships as a pilot – he still competes as a brakeman...
Laura Deas warmed up for the ISBF World Championships with a fifth-placed finish in the latest round of Skeleton World Cup action in St Moritz on Friday. Deas, who trains at the University of Bath with the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association, was just 0.38secs behind race winner Janine Flock and remains fourth in the overall World Cup standings with one race to go. Friday’s competition also doubled as the European Championships, with Deas just...
University of Bath-based skeleton athlete David Swift finally enjoyed a golden moment when he registered the first win of his nine-year international career on Wednesday. The 31-year-old beat 42 other sliders to triumph in the penultimate race of the Europa Cup season in St Moritz, boosting his chances of being selected in the GB team for this month’s World Championships. Swift, who has competed in more than 80 senior races, had previously claimed silver and...
University of Bath graduate Dominic Parsons finished seventh for the third time this term as he led the way for Great Britain in Saturday’s World Cup skeleton action in Park City. Parsons, who trains at the Sports Training Village, produced a fine second run to move up from ninth after Heat 1 in heavy snow and strong winds in Utah. Britain’s No.1 male slider now sits sixth in the world rankings with three World Cup...
University of Bath-based slider Laura Deas won another medal and the GB four-man bob missed out by just four-hundredths of a second during a highly-encouraging start to 2016 for the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association (BBSA). Five medals were also won by Britain’s young bobsleigh athletes in St Moritz, including a clean sweep of podium places in the women’s race, as GB continued their dominance of the Winter Youth Olympic qualifying competition. Deas, who won...
John Jackson made a stylish return to World Cup action for the first time in nearly two years as he guided Great Britain to eighth spot in the four-man bobsleigh on Sunday. Jackson, who trains at the University of Bath, last competed at the top level at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics (pictured) and missed the whole of last season with a long-standing Achilles injury. He won silver on European Cup duty in Winterberg last...
