Ashleigh's stunning end to the season

Monkton's very own Skeleton Bob Sleigh athlete Ashleigh Pittaway's competitive season ended on the 7th March with the main event of the season, the senior ‘World Championships’ in Whistler, Canada. The world’s best 26 skeleton athletes were competing for a top 20 place in order to make the finals of the World Championships, which took part on Friday 7th March. The event comprised of four runs spread over two days. Again, Ashleigh was the youngest Athlete competing in the event.

Day 1:   Thursday 6th March
With two consistent runs 54.47, 54.44 seconds, and speeds of 139.68, 140.44 Km/h Ashleigh crossed the finishing line ranked 15th just 0.05 seconds behind her teammate Maddie Smith. The track in Whistler lived up to its reputation as being the fastest track on the planet and one of the most difficult to navigate. The track was unforgiving and the number of injuries (none serious), caused three athletes to retire from the second day of racing. Ashleigh suffered, as did a number of athletes, multiple bruising during the race.

Day 2: Friday 7th March 
Finals or not? Ashleigh answered the question in the third run of the event due to the fact that she was able match her time of 54.44 clocked up on the previous day by passing the finishing line with the exact same time 54.44 seconds and a speed of 140.33 Km/h. In the 4th and final run Ashleigh improved her time yet again by producing her best sliding run of the competition with a time of 54.09 seconds and a personal best speed of 142.03 Km/h to finish in 16th position just 0.05 seconds behind her teammate Maddie.

Ashleigh commented after the race:“Despite the bruises, I am satisfied with my performance and being at the ‘World Championships’ was a great end to a very long and successful season. I now know that I am able to slide with the best. What I need to do is work hard on my start times, a deficit that separates my performances from those of the very best".

Season summary:
Ashleigh had a great season, starting with her winning British Skeletons selection trials at the very start of the season which lasted 5½ months. She trained, travelled and competed in 16 competitions on 8 different tracks. She managed to achieve 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze podium positions and also finished 19th in the International Bob and Skeleton Federations over all world rankings.

Being by far the youngest to compete at this level of competition, her aim is to compete for Great Britain at the next Winter Olympic Games 2022 in China. 

We wish her continued success and many congratulations on a fabulous season of racing.