Team GB faces tough challenge for Olympic medal in four-man bobsled

Team GB faces a tough challenge to win an Olympic medal in the four-man bobsled as they sit seventh at the halfway point in a race where three teams crashed.

Pilot Brad Hall demonstrated why the British team is a medal contender with a brilliant first run of 54.39 seconds in Cortina, which saw him finish third.

But he looked stunned and emotional when his pace slowed in the second and he lost four places in the standings.

They are now 0.23 seconds off the bronze medal position ahead of Sunday’s podium-deciding heats.

“I’m at a loss for words, to be honest,” Hall told BBC Sport.

“The first race, we did really well, and the second race got away from us, and honestly, I don’t know where.” It felt like a good race to me but we bled for a while.”

There are three German teams left to beat and they occupy the top three spots, with Johannes Lochner, who won the two-man gold medal earlier this week, on top with a total time of 1:48:61.

The competition was significantly delayed on the Cortina Sliding Track after Austria suffered a crash during heat two, with one athlete being treated for a long time on the ice before being taken off on a stretcher.

GB’s Greg Crackett said Austrian pilot Jakob Mandelbauer had gone to the hospital but was in good condition and “seemed okay.”

The British team were unable to find the pace on their first run.

The action resumed after a delay of around 20 minutes, but with the track now slower due to rising temperatures, the British team were unable to find the pace on their first run and are currently sitting at 1:49:43.

France and Trinidad and Tobago, crewed by Harrogate-born Axel Brown, also suffered accidents, but both crews walked away from the sled.