Trinidad and Tobago bobsleigh gets unlikely North Yorkshire backing

At a North Yorkshire garden centre, volunteers and students huddled around a television to offer their unlikely backing to a bobsleigh team as the competitors took their place in the Winter Olympics.

Rather the the red, white and blue of the Team GB's Union flag, these fans proudly waved the black, red and white of Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago.

The pilot of the sled in question, rushing 1,745m around the Cortina D'Ampezzo track, was Axel Brown, a local athlete who supports the Harrogate-based charity Horticap

Brown, who races for his mother's home country, had previously said his plan for the Olympics was "Operation Don't Come Last".

Horticap, which organised the watch party, teaches disabled adults outdoor skills and horticulture at Bluecoat Wood Nurseries.

Brown's mother volunteers at the garden centre and the athlete has always got stuck in to support the cause - including walking through the town dressed as an elf.

Operations manager Phil Airey said: "He's done crazy things for us, he loves coming up, he loves our students.

"Trinidad is a long way away and Italy is a long way away, but this guy from Yorkshire, from Harrogate, is our friend and having somebody that they know in the Olympics, it's just very exciting for them."

Ahead of the run, Airey said the group hoped for a good result and for Brown's wish not to come last to come true - but that they would be proud of him, no matter what happened..

"I couldn't care less where he comes, it would be just great to see him there and then hopefully when he comes back he's going to be bringing the bobsleigh up here for our students to see," he added.

Instructor Erica Ward said the team had been following Brown's journey for a while and the students were "inspired and excited" by his story.

"The lead up to any event like this is such a great thing for the students, it has such an impact on them," she said.

"They can see that people can do all these amazingly different things, it's a great opportunity for them to see what's going on."

Ward added the athlete was part of the family and they were fully behind him and the Trinidad and Tobago team as well as Team GB.

"We've got both camps and we're happy to support them both!" she laughed.

As the live results were available before the TV coverage, Airey announced to the room that Brown had managed to come in 25th place in the opening two heats, alongside his teammate De Aundre John.

"Axel has done it, he didn't want to come last and he's come second to last, so he's basically won it," he cheered.

Germany's Johannes Lochner and Georg Fleischhauer lead the first two heats, with the third and fourth heats scheduled for Tuesday evening.

According to Brown, this will be his final Olympic event and his next adventure would be converting a barn for him and his partner to live in.

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