She’s in!
It’s a dream come true for the 29-year-old who has earned her place the hard way – overcoming a serious injury at the start of the season to secure three podium finishes out of her last three Europa Cup races in both two-women bobsleigh and monobob.
Not only is she set to compete in both events, Adele will make history as the first British athlete to compete in the monobob. She will pilot the bobsleigh alongside former GB sprinter Ashleigh Nelson.
Adele’s story has captured the imagination of what can be achieved, and she has summed it up best this morning:
“All the way from a small, rural town in Mid Wales to the Biggest Sporting stage in the world!” she said.
“I’m incredibly proud to be selected to represent Team GB for the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, in the two-woman event and making history as the first ever athlete to represent Great Britain in the monobob event at an Olympic Games!
“Growing up in Welshpool, in such a rural area, making history was never something I thought was even a possibility. Despite the lack of visible opportunities, I’ve been in training since I was nine years old. Hours spent on the playing fields and running up to Powis Castle, with my dad on his bike next to me, telling me to keep on going.
“At times it seemed too far out of reach, but my family, PE teachers and sponsors encouraged me to see the dream and never let it go. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you.”
Adele has seized the moment to also highlight what she has been through.
“2019-2021 was a rough patch of life,” she said. “2021 was the year that saved me. I fell in love with Bobsleigh. But in 2022, after being chosen as the alternate for the Beijing Olympics, I felt lower than ever. Which is insane, because within 16 months I’d turned my life around, lost 20kg body weight, learned a brand-new skill and played a big part in qualifying Team GB for that Olympic Games.
“Yet still, I felt empty. Once I’d processed my emotions, I felt like a drive like no other. This is a message to all of my friends who have either been chosen as the alternate for Milano Cortina or narrowly missed out on qualifying. You are enough!
“Being in your position is a privilege. Without experiencing that feeling, I wouldn’t be where I am today. You are currently going through something that no one outside of your position will ever get to feel or understand. Don’t deny it. Use it and embrace it for your next chapter.
“Every decision has brought me here. Even when things didn’t make sense, I had faith in things working out. I hope this inspires other people in Wales and similar places to push past the limits and constraints put on them by environments and people who haven’t done what they dream of doing.
“Your start doesn’t define your finish.”
Adele is also a three-time British champion in shot put and could feature at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer.
Six British athletes will compete in the bobsleigh in total, with Brad Hall and Taylor Lawrence competing in the two-man event and being joined by Leon Greenwood and Greg Cackett for the four-man competition.
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