Winter Sports

Marine Taylor Lawrence: Winning gold at Bobsleigh World Cup was 'real special feeling'

Bobsleigh gold medallist Marine Taylor Lawrence says it was "a real special feeling" to win at the IBSF World Cup in Lake Placid.

Mne Lawrence won the four-man bobsleigh event in the US last weekend alongside Brad Hall, Arran Gulliver and Greg Cackett.

Now back home in the UK, Mne Lawrence spoke exclusively to BFBS Sport about the team's success after "knocking on the door of a gold medal for so long".

The British team fended off Olympic champions Germany, led by driver Francesco Friedrich, to win the title.

Mne Lawrence said: "With North America and Canada, it's tracks that the Germans aren't to au fait with, they don't get to slide them day in and day out, hundreds of runs down it so it does level out the playing field a little bit more."

The UK team has gone through recent changes, with Gulliver and head coach Graham Richardson both new additions.

Mne Lawrence said: "We've brought in Graham Richardson now as the head coach, so he brings his wealth of experience into the different lines, talking to Brad [Hall] about the best ways down and kit and equipment.

"We have been working really hard, also more over the starts so we need to be on top of our game because we are against the best of the best."

Prior to his World Cup success in Lake Placid, Mne Lawrence was named Royal Navy Sportsman of the Year earlier this month after a successful year that included a sixth-place finish at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

He said: "There is so many great sportsmen across the Navy, so to be nominated was obviously a huge honour but to win it, absolutely over the moon with that."