A Powys athlete is hoping her appearance at the Winter Olympics will inspire a new generation after becoming a trailblazer for British bobsleigh.

Adele Nicoll, a three-time British shot put champion from Welshpool, will make history as the first British athlete to compete in the Olympic monobob when she races in Cortina this month.

The 29-year-old will also line up in the two-woman event alongside Ashleigh Nelson, with the pair sharing a similar journey from athletics to the ice.

Nicoll has taken an unconventional route to the Winter Games but has quickly reached the top level, winning World Cup and European Cup medals, including silver in Lake Placid and a European Cup victory in St Moritz. She finished seventh in a World Cup two-woman race last season and sits inside the world’s top 15 in monobob.

“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.”

Nicoll previously travelled to Beijing 2022 as an alternate brakewoman before stepping up to pilot for this Games. She remains hopeful of representing Wales at the Commonwealth Games this summer, but says her full focus is now on the Olympic challenge.

Women’s monobob heats take place on February 15 and 16, with the two-woman competition following on February 20 and 21.