'Having a child inspired me to get to the Olympics': Batley bobsledder Leon Greenwood on achieving his ambition
Stories about sprinters who become bobsledders inevitably draw comparisons to an uplifting film from the early 90s about four intrepid young men who defied racial stereotypes to compete in the Olympics as equals, and their loveable rogue of a coach.
But to pigeon-hole Leon Greenwood purely in those terms is to ignore all the hard work he has put into achieving his own goal, the sacrifices made, the mental fortitude required.
He laughs at the reference to the film we’ll try not to mention, having heard it countless times before, but he wants you to know there is so much more to this 28-year-old from West Yorkshire who will represent Great Britain in Milan-Cortina in the four-man bobsleigh on the final weekend of the Games.
Like the fact he is the son of a single parent from Batley.
The fact he sat on the treatment table at 22 to be told he might never sprint again, that everything he’d worked towards in his youth had been ruined by injuries.
That he would not let his dream of becoming an Olympian die, even if by the time of the last Winter Games four years ago he had never even sat in a bobsleigh and was months away from doing so.
“You learn a lot about yourself on these journeys,” Greenwood tells The Yorkshire Post after one of his final training sessions in Bath before the British team flew to Italy via a training camp in Konigssee.
“I come from a small town in West Yorkshire, there’s not many opportunities there for little kids from Batley.
“I’ve made my dream happen by taking opportunities. I want to show people it’s possible.
“We had nothing growing up, a single parent household but my mum did a bloody great job. Not just my mum, my nan, they’ve created the man I am.
“I remember breaking my toe, and this is after the ankle injury, one of my sprint coaches said this is all part of the chapter and when you’re at the Olympics you can write about it in your book.
“At that time, it was hard to see that. But as long as you have the discipline you can overcome anything.”
And drive, too. And motivation.
Greenwood’s career change came at a talent ID day in Bath in the summer of 2022.
His speed down the ice gave him a head start but he needed to bulk up to 90kg. He got to a first world championships in 2024 and by the start of the 2025/26 season was in contention for a spot on the GB Olympic team, but still had work to do.
“I was having to battle for a seat. I really did have the belief I could do it, you have to believe in yourself,” he says.
“At the start of the year you go through individual testing and that sets your rank within the team. This year was my best ever and that set me up for the season.
“I’ve not made any drastic changes, because I was so new to it, every year I was developing at a quick rate. And this year felt like all the jigsaw pieces came together.
“I was head-to-head with a team-mate the last two weeks and I came out on top. We all got told at the same time, obviously I’m really happy and buzzing inside but I’ve got another team-mate who's gutted so you have to be supportive and respective of that.
“It’s not been easy, but no journey is easy, I just wish mine had been a little bit easier.”
Greenwood’s superpower as he calls it, is his family, partner Nicole Cockburn - a former Scottish lacrosse player - and their daughter Aria.
“I have a motto: visualise it, work for it, make it happen,” he says. “I visualise this moment, watching my little girl watching me at the Olympics.
"Having a child has given me that extra edge, like an extra superpower and that got me over the line.
“People call it a sacrifice, but I’m choosing to do this, no one is forcing me to do this. The reason I’m doing it is it’s my childhood dream, I’ve worked towards this my whole life, 18 years of graft.
“It’s not easy to leave my family for half a year, it’s the hardest thing in the world, but they’re so supportive.”
And they will be at the Cortina Sliding Centre on February 21-22, cheering him on.
“I wanted my daughter to grow up and see her dad as an Olympian, and she’s going to get that,” he beams.
“Any time I was struggling or my motivation would dip, I’d visualise me being there and her watching it.”
Together with Taylor Lawrence, Greg Cackett, and pilot Brad Hall, GB’s results this season have not been as good as previous years, but Greenwood is confident they will peak at the right time.
“We’re the underdogs and we’re excited to see what we can do,” he says of a four-man team that finished sixth in Cortina in the World Cup opener earlier this season. “Everybody has shown their cards, we haven’t shown our cards yet. We’ve got another gear.”
Having worked so hard to get to an Olympics, he is determined to enjoy himself.
“I only recently got told the food in the athletes’ village is available 24 hours - that’s dangerous for me,” he laughs, before finishing the interview with: “And we didn’t even need to mention Cool Runnings.”
Feel the rhythm…