Adele Nicoll’s journey to the Winter Olympics is nothing short of extraordinary. After serving as a reserve at Beijing 2022—where she stayed in the Olympic village but never raced—the 29-year-old athlete made a daring decision to take control of her destiny. Transitioning from a brakewoman to the pilot’s seat in bobsleigh, Nicoll’s gamble has culminated in a historic achievement for British sport.
Training at the University of Bath, Nicoll was recently named to Team GB’s bobsleigh squad. She won’t just participate in the two-woman event; she will be the first British athlete to compete in the Olympic Monobob, the newest solo bobsleigh discipline.
Nicoll’s story reads like a script from a sports drama. During the 2020 lockdown, a video of her sprint training on Instagram caught the attention of GB bobsleigh pilot Mica McNeill, who was seeking a powerful brakewoman. Inspired, Nicoll embraced the challenge but faced a steep physical transformation. To compete at the highest level, she shed more than three stone (20kg), sculpting her body to enhance speed without sacrificing power.
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The results were rapid and impressive. Within months, Nicoll earned a World Cup medal. She reclaimed her British shot put title two years later, and now, as a double-threat athlete, she is poised to make waves on the ice track and beyond.
Originating from Mid Wales, Nicoll is integral to the elite sliding program at the University of Bath. There, alongside skeleton athletes, she has spent four years mastering the skills required to pilot a 170kg bobsleigh down icy tracks at speeds up to 90 mph.
“I’m good at accelerating objects,” Nicoll quipped, reflecting on how her shot put strength translates into explosive bobsleigh starts. “It’s all about moving mass as fast as possible.”
Her path to Olympic qualification was not without challenges. A thigh injury earlier this season threatened her campaign, but Nicoll bounced back with outstanding performances, including:
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World Cup Silver in Lake Placid (two-woman)
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Europa Cup Gold and Silver in St Moritz (two-woman and Monobob)
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A personal best 12th place finish in the World Cup Monobob in Winterberg
In the two-woman competition, Nicoll will team up with Ashleigh Nelson, a former Olympic sprinter with appearances at Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020. Together, they embody a new era for British bobsleigh, defined by powerful athleticism and relentless determination.
At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, Nicoll will have a packed schedule: the Monobob event on February 13-14, followed by the two-woman races on February 20-21. But her ambitions don’t stop there. Nicoll plans to transition seamlessly back to shot put later in the year to represent Wales at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Adele Nicoll’s story is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the power of taking bold chances—proving that sometimes, the greatest victories come from placing a bet on yourself.