Newbury’s Leon Greenwood reveals his journey to Bobsleigh World Cup gold
Leon Greenwood is living the dream.
The Team Kennet sprint coach has been a crucial part of Great Britain’s recent success in the Bobsleigh World Cup.
The British four-man team sit second in the standings after five rounds, just 51 points behind a German squad which has won the title six years running.
A year ago, Britain finished thirteenth overall. They have already almost doubled their previous points total.
Greenwood has been a vital cog in a British team which has now taken four podiums in a row.
He wasn’t in the sled for the first triumph however, having to watch on as his teammates won gold in Winterberg on January 5th.
“This is a team sport, you’re going to win and you’re going to lose,” he said.
“I knew my time was going to come, so I just had to be patient really.
“But I was really happy for my team.
“As soon as I was back in the sled, I thought… I want a gold medal as well!”
Greenwood returned for the next race in St. Moritz and he hasn’t left it since, as the team has continued to rack up points.
“The following week we got a bronze, which was great,” he said.
“But it was tough, because we were in gold medal contention.
“When you’re within touching distance it’s tough to take.
“The next week we got a silver, and that was the first time that crew had pushed together.”
Greenwood shared the sled with teammate Arran Gulliver for the first time in Innsbruck, which proved to be a unique experience.
“Since I’ve started, Arran Gulliver and I have been competing against each other,” he said.
“We kept going in and out.
“So it was one of the best experiences actually racing with your competitor.
“Arran and I have gained a really good friendship just from being competitors.
“It was the best feeling to get a medal with him.
“As breakmen, we look at the starts, and at the moment our starts are the same.
“Greg Cackett tore his quad, so now Arran and I are in until Greg is fit again.”
Innsbruck also provided the team with a chance to perform in front of their families.
Competing every weekend in January allowed no time for a trip back home, so Greenwood’s loved ones came to him instead, allowing him to hold his daughter on the podium.
“That was one of the best sporting moments I’ve ever had,” he said.
“I had my family out there, so a silver felt like a gold medal.
“It was all planned… my daughter is only eight months old.
“As soon as I found out my schedule, I asked my wife ‘what are the easiest races to get to?’, and it was Innsbruck.
“I picked them up on the Friday, they stayed in our hotel and we had breakfast together. It was great.
“We had to put on a performance, they’d come out to watch us and it’s quite a bit of money.
“She had no idea what was going on, but it was good to put on a show.”
A return to St. Moritz on January 25th saw the team seal a second gold medal of the season, a long awaited moment for Greenwood.
“It's the best feeling in the world,” he said after winning his first ever bobsleigh gold medal.
“You could see the emotion when we got out, it meant so much to everyone.
“We’re getting medals every week, we want gold medals rolling in ahead of the World Championships.
“We’re all in really good shape, getting faster and faster.”
Greenwood competes at some of Europe’s premier winter sports locations, but the logistics of elite bobsleigh are not always so glamorous.
“We don’t fly, we drive to these places!” he said.
“When we finished the race in St. Mortiz, we got in the van and had to travel to Innsbruck.
“We got there at 10pm. Then we were training a day later.
“It is brutal. Arran and I have to travel to Lillehammer next with the bobsleighs in the van.
“It’ll take 24 hours.”
That’s a 1195 mile journey, passing through five countries and involving a ferry across the Baltic Sea. All worth it for another shot at gold.
Greenwood’s World Cup campaign resumes on Saturday 9th February in Lillehammer, Norway.
All the action will be available to watch live and free of charge on the IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton YouTube channel.
