‘Near-miss grief’ showed on our faces after medal woe

‘Near-miss grief’ showed on our faces after medal woeImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Greg Cackett has competed at three Winter OlympicsPublished1 hour agoTeam GB had their most successful Winter Olympics, winning three gold medals among the five-medal haul in Milan-Cortina. But not every athlete performed to their potential. Bobsleigher Greg Cackett gives his personal account after missing out on the podium in the four-man event.It’s been two weeks since my Winter Olympic medal dreams ended.I’m a brakeman in the Team GB four-man bobsleigh team that slipped from the bronze medal position to seventh on the final day of the Milan-Cortina Games.Four years of graft, setback, support and joy were disfigured across four heats of competition.In the immediate aftermath, near-miss grief played out across our faces while families revelled in the simple fact we were there. The ache of profound disappointment when your world insists it’s an achievement is strange to process.The awkwardness of feeling too successful for pity, too unsuccessful for celebration.It had been a fraught journey this season for the crew, getting high-performing athletes to the start line in perfect condition.Between 2018 and 2022, a period we’re proud of, we rose from the unfunded wilderness, to a UK Sport-backed quadrennial, leading to a special period of British bobsleigh history.We became the first-ever British European champions – upsetting the huge German dominance – we won multiple World Cup races, World Championship silver and bronze.Understandably, we entered the Olympic year full of confidence that we could win a medal.It may seem ironic, but winter athletes are built in the summer.Training for five seconds of explosiveness means: weights, sprints, plyometrics and pushing sleds in the sun.It is a critical window to maximise your athleticism before the rigours of roadside fast food, dubious hotel nutrition and hauling equipment in minus temperatures seek to take it away.Graft is not an overstated word.Team GB’s results at the Winter Olympics