Mica McNeill

Mica McNeill
Mica McNeill in Altenberg in 2019
Personal information
CitizenshipBritish
Born (1993-09-25) 25 September 1993 (age 31)
Consett, County Durham, England
Years active2010–
Sport
SportBobsleigh
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals2018, 2022
Medal record
Representing  Great Britain
Winter Youth Olympics
Silver medal – second place 2012 Innsbruck 2-woman
Junior Bobsleigh World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Winterberg 2-woman
Bobsleigh World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2022 Sigulda 2-woman

Mica McNeill (born 25 September 1993)[1] is a British bobsledder. She won a silver medal at the 2012 Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, and at the 2021–22 Bobsleigh World Cup event in Sigulda, Latvia. She competed at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics.

Early life

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McNeill is from Consett, County Durham, England,[2][3] and attended Durham High School for Girls.[4]

Career

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She joined the British Bobsleigh programme in 2010, and competed at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.[5] Competing alongside Jazmin Sawyers, she won a silver medal in the 2-girls bobsleigh event.[6] She has competed in the 2-women bobsleigh event at the Bobsleigh World Championships. In 2013, McNeill and Nikki McSweeney came 20th,[7] in 2015, McNeill and Aleasha Kiddle came 14th,[8] and in 2016, McNeill and Natalie Deratt came 12th.[9]

In January 2017, McNeill and Mica Moore won the 2-women event at the 2017 IBSF Junior Bobsleigh World Championships in Winterberg, Germany.[10][11] Later in the year, the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association withdrew funding for McNeill and Moore, after deciding to maintain funding only for the British male bobsleigh teams. The pair then managed to crowdfund £30,000, allowing them to compete in the 2017–18 Bobsleigh World Cup events. The money was needed to pay for travel between races for the pair of them, transport of the sled, race fees, insurance and possible medical expenses, among other things, and allowed them to concentrate on trying to win races.[2] By January 2018, McNeill and Moore had raised over £41,000 to fund their competitions.[3] The pair had the slogan "Powered By The People" written on their sled.[12] McNeill and Moore finished fifth in the 2-women bobsleigh event in Whistler, Canada, which was the best result for a British women's team in the Bobsleigh World Cup for 8 years.[12][13] In January 2018, McNeill was selected as the pilot for the British 2-women bobsleigh team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. Moore was selected as the brakewoman for the team.[14] Their result of 8th was the best ever by a British women's Olympic bobsleigh team.[15]

In 2019, McNeill and Montell Douglas finished sixth in the 2-women bobsleigh event in Königssee.[16] In 2020, McNeill and Douglas came eighth in the two-woman event at the IBSF World Championships.[17] During the COVID-19 pandemic, McNeill's father and brother built a push-start track for her in their garden.[18] McNeill and Douglas came fourth in the 2020–21 Bobsleigh World Cup 2-women event in Innsbruck,[19] her best ever finish at a Bobsleigh World Cup event. The pair finished the season ninth overall.[18] At the IBSF World Championships 2021, she came 13th in the monobob event[20] and 19th in the two-woman event alongside Douglas.[21]

At the 2021–22 Bobsleigh World Cup, McNeill competed in events alongside Moore, Douglas and shot putter Adele Nicoll, all of whom were attempting to earn a place with McNeill for the 2-woman event at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[22] In January 2022, McNeill and Nicoll finished second in the World Cup event in Sigulda, Latvia. It was the first time a British woman had won a Bobsleigh World Cup medal in 13 years.[23] That month, McNeill and Douglas were confirmed as Britain's selections for the 2022 Winter Olympics.[24] The pair finished 17th in the two-woman event.[25] After the Games, McNeill announced that she was taking a break from the sport.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "Winter Olympics 2018: Great Britain's team for Pyeongchang". BBC Sport. 25 January 2018. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Mica McNeill says British bobsleighers 'powered by the people'". BBC Sport. 25 September 2017. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  3. ^ a b "PATH TO PYEONGCHANG: County Durham bobsleigh driver Mica McNeill hails 'people power' after Winter Olympic place is confirmed". The Northern Echo. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Consett bobsleigh champ aims for Olympic glory". Chronicle Live. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Mica NcNeill". British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck: Bobsleigh gold to the Netherlands and Italy, first Olympic medal for Monaco". International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. 22 January 2012. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  7. ^ "World Championship: Saint Moritz". International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. 25 January 2013. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  8. ^ "World Championship: Winterberg". International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  9. ^ "World Championship: Innsbruck". International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. 12 February 2016. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Mica Moore: Welsh bobsleigher hopes to reach Olympics despite funding cut". BBC Sport. 20 September 2017. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  11. ^ "IBSF Junior World Championship Bobsleigh" (PDF). International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation. 28 January 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  12. ^ a b Bloom, Ben (23 January 2018). "Winter Olympics 2018: British bobsleigh women crowdfund their way to Korea". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  13. ^ Hope, Nick (25 November 2017). "Bobsleigh World Cup: Mica McNeill and Mica Moore fifth in Whistler". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Winter Olympics 2018: Mica McNeill and Mica Moore named in GB team". BBC Sport. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  15. ^ "Winter Olympics: GB's bobsleigh women hope for funding after finishing eighth". BBC News. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  16. ^ "Consett bobsleigh star Mica McNeill impresses again on World Cup stage". The Northern Echo. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  17. ^ Final results
  18. ^ a b "McNeill Hopes Working from Home Can Lead to Bobsleigh Glory". Team GB. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  19. ^ "MCNEILL AND DOUGLAS RAISE EYEBROWS AS NOLTE TAKES INNSBRUCK VICTORY". Eurosport. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Final results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Final results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  22. ^ "'I cut 20kg to make bobsleigh team': Meet the Welsh duo aiming for Olympic bobsleigh glory". BBC Sport. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  23. ^ "MICA MCNEILL AND ADELE NICOLL SOAR TO STUNNING WORLD CUP SILVER IN SIGULDA". Eurosport. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  24. ^ "Winter Olympics: Montell Douglas becomes GB's first female summer and Winter Olympian with bobsleigh selection". BBC Sport. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Final results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  26. ^ "Mica McNeill taking break from bobsleigh after Beijing disappointment". Largs & Millport Weekly News. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
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