ALEASHA Kiddle will have more than just her team-mates’ interests at heart when she is cheering on Great Britain’s women’s bobsleigh team at the Winter Olympics.

The 25-year-old from Braintree admitted to being “gutted” that she wasn't at the Games in Pyeongchang in South Korea after an injury before Christmas ruled out her chances of being selected for the British crew.

Kiddle ended up with concussion after a crash at a training event in Whistler in Canada in November, forcing her to have several weeks out as she recovered.

And missing that training at a key point in her season meant she lost the high end fitness required to make the team as brakewoman alongside driver Mica McNeill at Olympic selection.

Instead it is Mica Moore who is brakewoman in Great Britain’s women’s team and while Kiddle admits it will be hard to look on, she will be cheering her team-mates on from afar and is hoping they can impress.

After British Bobsleigh pulled funding for the women last year, the team had to crowdfund their own Olympic push and Kiddle is hoping a strong performance in Pyeongchang will persuade funding to be reinstated next year.

She added: “They did well in North America, but because the funding wasn’t there earlier on in the year, there was no chance for Mica (McNeill) to get a look at the track at the familiarisation event (in Pyeongchang).

“So it will be tough for them to know the track.

“If Mica can learn the track quickly, though, a top ten finish would be a really good result and very good for the women’s bobsleigh programme.

“If they can do that, there would be no reason not to fund her because a top ten would be the greatest result ever for Great British women’s bobsleigh.”

With her own bobsleigh season now over, Kiddle is looking to keep building her athletic fitness.

The former Braintree and District Athletic Club sprinter set a new personal best over 60 metres at the South of England Indoor Championships last month and bettered that as she ran 7.46 seconds when competing for England in Bratislava recently.

She added: “Bobsleigh is a team effort and you want your team-mates to do well, but not getting the opportunity to race is still tough.

“The coaches had said that there would be chances for me to race in the second half of the season, but I couldn’t because of the crash.

“The Olympic selection was all on the day and I wasn’t able to get through after the time off that I’d had.

“It’s hard, but with a concussion injury you have to be careful and the coaches have to follow a certain procedure to make sure you are OK.

“After the testing, I knew that it would be a long shot to be selected, but I carried on with my training and I feel good now.

“I was in good shape before the crash and I feel I’m strong again now.

“There is no more racing in bobsleigh after the Olympics for this season, though, and, looking forward, a lot will depend on funding and where we are at.

“I definitely feel I haven’t accomplished all I can in this sport so I want it to go on.

“I’d like to be a driver, but that will come down to funding and weather British Bobsleigh want to find us.

“If I get the chance to drive depends on their view and I will find out more in March when I have my athlete review after the Olympics.

“I’d love the team to do well at the Olympics and for funding to be secured, but it’s just annoying knowing that I can’t help the result.”