John Baines insists Britain’s No.2 four-man bobsleigh crew are proving that they can mix it with the very best at their first Winter Olympics together in Sochi.
Baines once again joined forces with pilot Lamin Deen as the four-man event got underway, having pushed for him as a late replacement in the two-man earlier at the Games.
Along with Ben Simons and Andrew Matthews, who took over as a late replacement himself for the injured Craig Pickering, they are equal 18th after the first set of two runs in Sochi.
They posted times of 55.91 and 55.60 seconds and clocked start times of 4.85 and 4.86 and Baines believes they can be proud of their efforts ahead of the final two runs.
“We always aim to be within a tenth of the world’s best on the start. That was our aim and we met it,” said Baines. “Andrew [Matthews] has stepped in over the last few weeks and really stood up to the mark.
“Being on the back of the sled in the two-man, it is almost individual because the driver does his thing and you get in the back of that sled and just hit it as hard as you can.
“Whereas in the four-man, the guys in the back work together and push together.”
© Sportsbeat 2014