Adele Nicoll aiming to inspire on her Winter Olympics debut
Adele Nicoll hopes her history-making appearance at the Winter Olympics can inspire girls across Wales and beyond.
The Welshpool ace will become the first British Olympian to compete in bobsleigh’s monobob event when she takes to the track in Cortina next month.
The 29-year-old will also combine with Ashleigh Nelson in the two-woman, and the pair share a bond having switched to the ice from athletics.
Nicoll, who is the reigning British shot put champion, still harbours hope of representing Wales at this summer’s Commonwealth Games but for now her focus is solely on blazing a trail in bobsleigh.
“To be a role model is huge for me because I grew up in a rural area in mid-Wales where I didn’t have many role models,” she said. “We know visibility is key and that if people can see it happening, they can believe it can happen to them too.
“Becoming the first British female to compete in the monobob in Olympic history, being from Welshpool it means so much more.
“It is about showing that no matter your environment, if you want to achieve something you can do it as long as you open the doors of opportunity and you work hard for it.”
The multi-talented Nicoll travelled to Beijing 2022 as the alternate brakewoman in the two-woman event but has since stepped up to pilot for the 2026 edition.
She became British shot put champion a few months later before representing Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
It is a feat she hopes to repeat this year and while her combination of sports may seem unlikely, Nicoll believes both of her pursuits are supporting each other.
“A lot of people retire from one sport and transfer to another and historically it has been sprinters coming to bobsleigh,” she added. “I am really proud to represent field athletes and show what powerhouses we can be.
“The throws event is a power event which means that you need to be able to move well.
“When I came over to bobsleigh and I started training like a bobsledder, it helped my training and I became a three-time British champion after starting.
“It goes to show that actually throwing an implement requires a lot of speed and strength.
“Movement is key and the analytical side of throwing and being so technical has helped me become a pilot. I’ve had to analyse things in minute detail.”
If Nicoll is at any risk of getting carried away with her sporting achievements on multiple fronts, she knows she has the support of her family to keep her grounded.
“My family have always kept me so humble,” she said. “I messaged my dad when I got my selection email saying ‘Oh my gosh I did it, I am going to the Olympics’, and he sent me a thumbs up!
“My mum sent me this long paragraph saying how proud she was, but my dad just sent a thumbs up.
“Growing up he has always kept me so humble. I know he is so proud of me.
“I wouldn’t change that relationship for the world because it makes me hungry for more all the time. I am never satisfied with average; I always want to strive for more.”
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