Irish bobsleigh team beat Australian rivals

Irish bobsleigh pilot Aoife Hoey safely negotiated her Winter Olympic debut and said her and Claire Bergin’s performances at the Whistler Sliding Centre had served as a major boost for winter sports in Ireland.

Hoey and brakewoman Bergin became the first women’s bobsleigh team from Ireland to qualify for the Games, finishing 17th of the 21 teams last night in an event won by Canada’s Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyes.