by Stuart Weir
Montell Douglas, 2022 Beijing Olympics, photo by @rekords on Instagram and British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association
Montell Douglas, 2022 Beijing Olympics, photo by @rekords on Instagram and British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association
This is the first part of Stuart Weir’s two part feature on Montell Douglas, the former British 100m record holder, and her move from track & field to bobsledding. Montell Dougls had a long career at track and then moved to bobsledding. She is competing in Beijing this coming week.
“You do have to be a bit nuts to throw yourself down an ice mountain at 80-90mph!”
Later this month, Montell Douglas will become the first female to compete for Britain in the summer and winter Olympics. Ironically both her Olympic appearances take place in Beijing.
Her career as an athlete saw her compete in the 2008 Olympics, two World Championships, and a Commonwealth Games as well as European indoor and outdoor championships. She gained a European Under 23 silver medal at 100m. She was in the England 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medal sprint relay team and the GB team which was fourth and fifth in the World Championship relays (2007 and 2009). In 2008 she set a GB 100m record of 11.05 – running a windy 10.95 the same day. Almost becoming the first British woman to go sub 11 for 100m.
Montell Douglas, 2022 Beijing Olympics, photo by @rekords on Instagram and British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association
The temperature is one of the big adjustments from summer to winter: “But when I competed in the Summer Olympics 2008 the temperature was up to 38 but then for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang (where she was a reserve) it was -26. I remember thinking “this is insane” and it’s a challenge to be overcome when you’re not used to sprinting in such cold temperatures. So you have to learn different ways to prepare your body and get ready”.
She has many memories of Beijing 2008: “Usain Bolt’s world record which came out of nowhere and his three golds. My bobsleigh teammate, Greg [Rutherford] bombing out in the Olympics – I’m sure he won’t mind me saying that. He was going to give up athletics but then came back to win everything. I remember being in Beijing with him. I remember my parents being at the games and they’d never even really been on a plane before but they came to watch me compete. I got huge special memories. The Birdsnest is still my favorite track of all time – because it’s a mirage that doesn’t look real. China put on a great performance for us”.
Montell Douglas, 2022 Beijing Olympics, photo by @rekords on Instagram and British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association
Aged 29, she was approached by a bobsleigh coach with an athletics background: “He said to me that they were looking for bigger, faster, stronger girls – because the start is so important. And I was one of a few girls who were brought in and I managed to make the team for Pyeongchang in the reserve slot. In the following year, I had my first season, which was mainly tests and trials and you hit marks, I knew that I was compatible but I had a lot to learn. There I was, 29 years old, learning a new sport”.
Montell Douglas, 2022 Beijing Olympics, photo by @rekords on Instagram and British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association
She said of her selection in the two-person bob: “I am completely overwhelmed. But I feel honored and blessed. It’s been a journey for me and because we’ve had a number of men but no women it’s been great to represent women and that was something that I really wanted to achieve. I’m blown away. Beijing is the only city to have summer and winter games but I’m sure it will look very different from what it was for track and field in 2008. But I’m looking forward to experiencing it”.
Montell Douglas, 2022 Beijing Olympics, photo by @rekords on Instagram and British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association
One the differences between track and bob is that bobsleigh is a team sport, something she relishes: “I’ve not been in a team sport before, not since school. As a 100m sprinter, it’s just you on the line but now it’s never just me, which is something that I love about doing it”.
Montell Douglas, 2022 Beijing Olympics, photo by @rekords on Instagram and British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association
She is not the only sprinter who will be in Beijing. Alexandra Burghardt, a semi-finalist in Tokyo 2020 in 100m will also be in the women’s bobsleigh competition for Germany.
In part two, Monty explains what she brings to bobsleigh having been an elite track athlete.
