Minichiello focuses on gold strike

The partnership – who conduct part of their training schedule at the Camp Hill dry training track in Kirklington, near Bedale, – are among the favourites to strike gold at the Whistler Sliding Centre, and not even a season punctuated by a serious eye injury for Minichiello is going to derail their hopes of a memorable double.

Sheffield-based Minichiello, 31, suffered retinitis before Christmas and lost 80 per cent of her vision, but has since had corrective laser surgery.

They go into the first of two runs in Vancouver off the pace in practice but confident of a repeat of their world championship triumph in Lake Placid, New York, last year.

She said: "All of my last 15 years have been building towards this and I now feel I'm at the stage where I've got the experience and the confidence. I've learned how to put it together and how to win.

"For the last four years since Turin, everything has been building towards the top of the podium. We've put our heart and soul into getting that result and on our day we believe we can be right up there.

"Last year, the goal was the world championships at the end of the season and we won it. This year the goal has always been the Olympics. We didn't win a race last year before the worlds. That one race was the only thing that mattered."

The decisive medal runs are held in the early hours of Thursday morning.

British bobsleigh pair Paula Walker and Kelly Thomas tipped their bobsleigh on their third training run last night.

Their sled turned upside down midway down the course and slid all the way over the finish line, but the pair clambered out and walked away unharmed.

The USA pulled off a stunning 5-3 win over gold medal favourites Canada in an eagerly awaited ice hockey clash.

Both teams had already qualified from their group but a youthful American side has now put down a marker with the knockout stages to come.