MICA McNEILL made a blistering start to the international bobsleigh season as her first outings with new brake-woman Mica Moore saw the pair win two silver medals in the North American Cup series.
McNeill, who is from Consett, has paired up with Moore in the build-up to next February’s World Championships, which represent an important staging post on the route to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
The pair have been training together throughout the close season, and their performances in Calgary suggest they will be a match for the world’s best this winter.
Their first race in Canada saw them finish in second position behind a Canadian bob piloted by double Olympic and World champion Kallie Humphries.
GOING DOWNHILL FAST: Mica McNeill and Mica Moore burst from the starting blocks in Canada
Race two saw them raise their performance level even higher as they finished just 0.14 seconds behind home favourites Alysia Rissling and Catherine Medeiros.
McNeill and Moore were comfortably the best-performing Europeans in Calgary, with their displays all the more impressive given they had never previously raced together in a competitive environment.
“To produce such impressive performances in successive races is extra special,” said GB Bobsleigh performance director Gary Anderson.
“Starting the season with two silver medals on the women’s circuit is a huge boost to the squad as a while, and I know Mica and Mica will be confident they can continues to improve together, especially when you consider that they had never raced together prior to the weekend.
“We take great care in getting our recruitment right, and to see someone like Mica Moore do so well just a few weeks after joining the programme is obviously very pleasing.”
McNeill and Moore will return to action at the end of the month when the Canadian resort of Whistler hosts the next two rounds of the North American Cup.
McNeill was not the only North-Easterner involved in the opening two races as Teessider John Baines was also involved in both the two-man and four-man events as he attempts to secure his own place on next year’s World Championships squad.
Baines, who hails from Middlesbrough, was the brake-man with driver Bruce Tasker as Britain’s two-man bob finished in sixth position in the second round of the North American series.
The 31-year-old then teamed up with Lamin Deen, Andy Matthews and Tremayne Gilling as the quartet finished sixth in the four-man competition.
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