³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ BLOGS - Rob Hodgetts

Archives for February 2010

Bobsleigh pair still dreaming of gold

Post categories: ,Ìý

Rob Hodgetts | 05:29 UK time, Wednesday, 24 February 2010

We bounced back up to the sliding centre, whistling a merry tune, ready to usher in more British success.

We'd had , and we were all set to do it again, to hop on for another wild ride to more British glory in the women's bobsleigh.

and came into the Games as world champions, and therefore labelled as legitimate "British medal hopes".

The union jacks were out, the media were there, and hup-hup-hup-hup, off they plunged down the icy track. But it didn't quite turn out how we wanted. And made it a damp night in more ways than one.

Read the rest of this entry

Williams in a class of her own

Post categories: ,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý

Rob Hodgetts | 09:06 UK time, Saturday, 20 February 2010

in much the same way she raced here in Whistler. Smoothly, cheerfully, coolly.

British sports fans are traditionally used to a roller-coaster of emotions before any success, but the didn't put the country through the wringer, didn't slip up at the final hurdle. She just finished the job ruthlessly, professionally.

The only minor tremors were the protests against the design of her helmet, first by the Americans late on Thursday night, after Williams led after both training runs, and then again by the Canadians at the end. "Oh no. It's all over again," was the instant reaction, followed by "sour grapes, maybe?" But both protests were quickly dismissed.

Read the rest of this entry

GB medal hope slides into view

Post categories: ,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý

Rob Hodgetts | 07:09 UK time, Friday, 19 February 2010

British sporting interest in the Winter Olympics has suddenly perked up and it's come from a slightly unexpected source.

, an aspiring artist from Bath, at the halfway stage and now represents Britain's first tangible chance of a medal at the 2010 Games.

in her first run at the Whistler Sliding Centre and was second fastest in her second run to eclipse both the Canadian pre-race favourite Melissa Hollingsworth and GB team-mate Shelley Rudman, the Turin silver medallist.

In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit µþµþ°äÌý°Â±ð²ú·É¾±²õ±ð for full instructions. If you're reading via RSS, you'll need to visit the blog to access this content.


Read the rest of this entry

Trying to ketchup with the Flying Tomato

Post categories: ,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý

Rob Hodgetts | 01:21 UK time, Wednesday, 17 February 2010

Most know him as the "Flying Tomato", some prefer "Red Zeppelin". I would suggest the .

, the snowboarder with the long red locks, is back to defend his , after winning gold as a 19-year-old in Turin.

White was already a big name in 2006, a twin snowboarding and skateboarding prodigy. Now he is a global icon. A one-man brand.

The American is reputed to earn $9m a year through endorsements alone. He has more than 684,000 fans on the social network Facebook and more than 100,000 followers on Twitter.

He's a man in demand, and because of that, he's rather difficult to pin down for a chat.

Read the rest of this entry

Is the Olympic downhill on the slide?

Post categories: ,Ìý

Rob Hodgetts | 17:59 UK time, Friday, 12 February 2010

UPDATE (SATURDAY 1500 GMT): The men's downhill has been postponed until Monday because of bad weather. .


Go on then, name me the defending downhill champion.

What do you mean you can't quite remember who it is? The men's downhill is THE iconic Olympic event, the much-vaunted "blue riband".

Like the men's 100m at the Summer Games, this is one of the crown jewels of world sport.

These supermen in skintight spandex, flashing down the side of a sheer mountain at breakneck speeds, teetering on the icy edge between glory and failure.

Read the rest of this entry

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ iD

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ navigation

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Â© 2014 The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.