Mica Moore Beats Adele Nicoll . . . But Both Have Olympic Memories to Last a Lifetime

Two women raised in Wales lined up in the same Olympic field, representing different nations but sharing common roots — and when the ice settled in Cortina, it was Jamaica’s Mica Moore who claimed the unofficial Welsh bragging rights.

The women’s monobob at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics produced a unique footnote in Welsh sporting history. 

Moore, born and brought up in Newport before switching allegiance from Great Britain to Jamaica, went head-to-head with Great Britain’s Adele Nicoll, from Welshpool.

READ MORE: Adele Nicoll Chasing Summer And Winter Olympic Dream

For the first time, two Welsh women competed in the same Winter Olympic event for two different countries.

By the end of four tense runs at the Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre, Moore had edged the personal duel, finishing 14th overall in a combined time of 4:01.31 — 3.38 seconds behind American gold medallist Elana Meyers Taylor — while Nicoll placed 18th.

Moore’s performance was built on steady progression. After clocking 1:00.55 and 1:00.43 on day one, she improved again with 1:00.41 to safely reach the final run. 

READ MORE: Wales Will Have Two Women at Winter Olympics . . . In One Sport for Two Nations

Then came her breakthrough: a 59.92-second fourth descent — her first sub-minute effort of the competition — lifting her one place up the standings and sealing her status as the top Welsh finisher.

“I’m so happy. It has been a real tough journey to get here, it hasn’t been easy at all,” said Moore.

“I guess to me it is just a story of not giving up. I had a really difficult time with Great Britain and that is not secret at all and I’m just so proud I didn’t give up on myself and I’m so grateful for my family and friends for digging myself out of the trenches when it was really tough and just keep going. 

“Moments like this make it really worth it.

“It is a really proud moment. I’ve spoke a lot about my grandfather and how we came over with the Windrush generation and I never got the pleasure of meeting him but my mum has told me so many stories about him and I just had that in my heart the whole time. 

“I just wanted to make my family proud. They’ve supported me for so long. I’m 33 now so I’m quite old and they’ve never wavered in their support. I’ve just had the most lovely career because of them.”

Nicoll, meanwhile, endured a rollercoaster competition.

 After three composed runs left her sitting 11th going into the final descent — an extraordinary position given her relative inexperience in the monobob discipline — she suffered a costly mistake that dropped her down the order.

“I’m a bit speechless. I am in shock. That last run is just not reflective of my capabilities as a pilot. 

“I put down three really solid runs and I think maybe what shows is that you need to put four solid runs down to keep your position. I was 11th going into the final run and maybe a lack of experience has not done me too well.”

Jamaica's Mica Moore during the Women's Monobob Bobsleigh Heat 1. Pic. Alamy

The 18th-place finish was a bitter pill, particularly given how strongly she had performed through the first three heats.

“I am extremely disappointed and I do feel like I’ve let everybody down, but I am sure I will process it and I’ll take that with me into the two-woman. 

“The monobob was never the strong event coming into the Games - the two-woman has always been our stronger event. 

“I am really proud of myself for the three solid runs and to be sat 11th going into the last run shows the potential. I know everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong and it is just one of those nightmare performances that I’ll hopefully move on from.”

Adele Nicoll. Pic. Alamy

Nicoll highlighted the fine margins of Olympic competition as she now looks ahead to competing in the two-woman bobsleigh event, as pilot alongside former GB sprinter Ashleigh Nelson.

“My best performance so far in a World Cup has been 12th so to be sat 11th going into that final run was a great achievement and unfortunately I just couldn’t lay down that fourth run. 

“It was probably the worst run I’ve ever had in my life, which is not ideal in an Olympic Games.”

Her journey to the start line had been arduous, including recovering from serious injury earlier in the season.

“Hopefully that shows people that this is raw and it is not all sunshine and rainbows. I’ve had to overcome a lot of hurdles to even be here - I started off this season not even walking, and had to overcome a serious injury to even be o the starting block today. 

“I am just taking some accountability for that fourth run not being good enough and I need to pull it together for the two-woman.”

Adele Nicoll of Great Britain competes in Bobsleigh Women's Monobob Heat One. Pic. Alamy