After 17 years as a professional sprinter and two Summer Olympic Games, Ashleigh Nelson prepares for her Winter Olympic debut.
Ashleigh Nelson during the Team GB Bobsleigh Announcement at the University of Bath. Picture date: Thursday January 22, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: David Davies/PA Wire.
(Image: PA)
When Ashleigh Nelson missed out on selection for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics due to injury, the 34-year-old sprinter thought her time at the top of elite sport might be coming to an end. But a single message on Instagram changed everything, leading her to the University of Bath and a brand-new Olympic dream.
Now, Nelson has been officially named as the brakewoman for Adelé Nicoll in the two-woman bobsleigh for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics .
The transition from the summer sun to the winter ice began with an invitation from fellow athlete-turned-pilot Adele Nicoll.
“People have slid into my DMs before, but this time was a little different,” Nelson joked. “Adelé asked if I’d ever thought about trying bobsleigh. She told me I had the ‘ticks’—strong, fast, and powerful.”
After a trial at the University of Bath’s specialized push-start facility—the only one of its kind in the UK—Nelson proved she was “actually quite good at it.” By early 2025, she was making her international debut on the ice in Winterberg.
Nelson is no stranger to the pressure of the big stage. She is a veteran of the British athletics scene with an incredible pedigree:
· Two-time Summer Olympian (Beijing 2008, Tokyo 2020)
· World Championship Silver & Bronze Medalist (4x100m relay)
· European Champion (4x100m relay, 2014)
· Commonwealth Gold Medalist (Birmingham 2022)
By competing in Italy next month, she joins an elite group of British athletes—including the likes of Montell Douglas—who have represented Team GB at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
While sprinting 100m on a flat track is one thing, pushing a 250kg bobsled on ice is another entirely. Nelson has been fine-tuning her “explosive start” at the University of Bath, recently clocking a solo push time of 6.24 seconds —a feat she described as “exhilarating.”
Training in the West Country has been vital for Nelson’s rapid rise. Despite only competing in three major events before her selection, including the 2025 World Championships , she has quickly become a vital part of “Team Nicoll.”
Sporting excellence runs in the Nelson bloodline. Her brother, Alexander Nelson, was also an international sprinter who joined her in the Team GB squad for the Beijing 2008 Games. Her cousin, Curtis Nelson, is also well-known to sports fans as a professional footballer currently playing for Derby County.
At the recent kitting-out day in Bath, Nelson and her teammates were celebrated as part of the “unbreakable chain” of British sliding success. For Nelson, this Games is about more than just personal glory; it’s about a new challenge after 15 years on the track.
“At this point in my career, I’m happy to share my success with other strong women,” she said. She will be looking to do exactly that when she and Adele hit the ice in Cortina on February 20th.
