Oldham skeleton star Brogan Crowley on why she can reflect with pride on Winter Olympic debut

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Oldham skeleton star Brogan Crowley could reflect with pride on her first two runs on Olympic debut in Beijing. The 27-year-old former heptathlete managed a combined time of 2:06.155 on her first two competitive runs down the track in Yanqing.

That left her in 23rd place, 0.41 seconds behind team-mate and 2018 Olympic bronze medallist Laura Deas. "I'm pretty proud of the runs I put together to be honest,” said Crowley, ranked 26th in the recently-concluded World Cup campaign. “For me, it was a step up from training.

I got bits in training but haven't been able to put much together. It was definitely progress. "I'm pleased with my push because that's been one of my weak points over the years with my injuries, so I'm quite happy with that." Crowley’s second run clocking of 1:03.23 was slightly quicker than her first, timed at 1:03.32, showing consistency at her first major Games appearance.

It is the only track in the world featuring a 360-degree turn and poses unique challenges that Crowley is continuing to get to grips with ahead of third and fourth runs on Saturday.