CONSETT bobsleigh star Mica McNeill finished 12th as she teamed up with her new partner, Natalie DeRatt, at the World Championships in Austria this weekend.

McNeill, who will hope to make her Winter Olympic debut at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, produced a series of strong performances driving with DeRatt, with the pair only missing out on a place in the top ten by 33 hundredths of a second.

The British duo started Saturday’s final day of competition at Igls in 11th position after Friday’s opening two runs, and were 12th and 13th in runs three and four.

They finished with a time of 3:34.97, which left them 0.34secs ahead of the 13th-placed sled in an 18-strong field.

“This sport is about small margins, and Mica and Natalie were very close to recording a top-ten finish in their first season together,” said GB Bobsleigh performance director Gary Anderson. “They produced consistent starts and consistent run times, and were unlucky to lose 11th spot late in the final run.

“They have worked hard all season, and I am sure they will have learnt a lot from this experience.”

Anja Schneiderheinze led from start to finish to take gold for Germany, with Canada’s World Cup points leader Kaillie Humphries claiming silver and reigning champion Elana Meyers-Taylor having to settle for bronze.