Bobsleigh: Tout's Olympic ticket gaining value

Mark Tout today goes into the last race before next month's Winter Olympics in Norway already virtually certain of a top-three finish in the overall four-man world cup competition, writes Chris Moore from St Moritz. After their silver medal in last weekend's European championships at La Plagne, Tout and his crew, George Farrell, Jason Wing and Lenny Paul, have high hopes of another success after the fifth and final round today. 'Now that we're only two weeks away from the Olympics this is the time when we are looking to really get our act together,' the 33-year-old army corporal said. 'I drove the pants off the other guys on the first run in the Europeans. But we messed up our start on the second and that cost us the gold.' Tout is leading the four-man standings, but because he has to drop one result a bronze medal in the overall competition is realistically the best he can aspire to. It is still not too late, however, for members of the British No 2 crew, driven by Sean Olsson, to force their way into the Olympic reckoning, with their new recruit John Herbert, the 1986 Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the triple jump, impressing.