Arran Gulliver in the bobsleigh after winning World Cup gold in Lake Placid
Gulliver said his background as a sprinter has helped him adapt quickly to bobsleigh

The four-man team from Great Britain won a gold medal at the World Cup last weekend.

Gulliver was a complete novice in the sport before joining the programme.

He said it was the best Christmas gift he could have asked for.

We think we can win every race because we know we have the talent. It helps to get that done.

We're going to be going to some tracks after Christmas that we think we can win a gold medal at.

The four of us and our coach believe that we can keep picking up first places as the season goes on.

  • Listen: BBC Radio Bristol - The Sports Store, featuring Arran Gulliver

When a friend saw an advert for bobsleigh and skeleton on the internet, he decided to apply.

After completing a trial in June, it snowballed. Hall, Taylor Lawrence, and Greg Cackett were training at the push start track at the University of Bath.

Brad asked me to train with his team twice a week after the initial trials. He said that they were teaching him everything he needed to know.

Greg Cackett, Taylor Lawrence, Arran Gulliver and Brad Hall (l-r)
Cackett, Lawrence, Gulliver and Hall (l-r) have been successful so far this season

Learning from the best

One of the fastest times was pushed by Gulliver in his first try at the bobsleigh.

He ran down a track for the first time in Canada.

The track is the fastest in the world and has some of the biggest g-force pressures through the corners.

The team won the gold medal at the North American Cup in November. They came away with a silver medal at the World Cup.

Being able to talk to them, listen to them, and learn from them made it a lot easier.

We all know we're going to do the right thing.

Top-end speed

Gulliver transitioned from the athletics track to the bobsleigh track thanks to his experience and skills as a sprinter.

When the sled was moving fast, he was able to keep up with it and push for longer.

You need top-end speed to keep adding when you have four big guys that are shifting a sled as fast as they can.

"That's why sprinters tend to get along well with bobsleigh, as long as they've got the size and strength to help them, it works."

Gulliver and the GB team celebrate on the podium after their World Cup gold
Gulliver only joined the bobsleigh programme this summer but has already won multiple medals

After a short break at home near Kidderminster for Christmas, the team will be back in action at the World Cup rounds in Winterberg and Altenberg, Germany, before the World Championships in St Moritz begin.

It's going to be great if we can get a medal there.

The main goal is to get more funding for the program.

After just a few months into the sport, Gulliver is already thinking about the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.

He feels like he's in the best position possible.

"I know it's all happened so fast but the feedback I'm getting from everyone else and what I know about myself and how hard I can work, I definitely think I can get there."