Adele’s brilliant Olympic debut makes Welshpool proud

Adele Nicoll has completed her first ever participation in the Winter Olympic Games by finishing in the top 20 of the Monobob.

The 29-year-old has had us all on the edge of our seats over the past two days, and she didn’t let us down with four scintillating runs at the Milano Cortina Games.

After sitting in 16^th following yesterday’s opening heat, Adele produced a blistering second heat to move up to 13th position overnight.

And, this evening, she looked in determined mood for the third heat as the elite athlete flew down the course at speeds reaching 124km/h to move up to 11^th, and securing her spot in the final heat.

But Adele recorded a slower fourth, and final, descent which saw her slip a few notches down the final table to finish in a very respectable 18^th position amongst the world’s best 25 competitors.

She certainly showed why she is considered one of the world's best emerging Monobob talents, and just as importantly she has done her family, friends and the entire Welshpool area proud. 

And there’s more yet to come! She will be competing in this weekend’s two-woman bobsleigh, again hoping to push for a top 10 finish.

It’s been an astonishing fairy-tale for the Welshpool born and bred athlete, with Adele also the current three-time British shot put champion, and hoping to secure a place in Team Wales for this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

Meanwhile, the Monobob was won by the USA's Elana Meyers Taylor, who pipped Germany’s world number one-ranked Laura Nolte, to the Olympic title. It was her first Olympic gold, having previously won three silvers and two bronze.