A celebration five years late. A doping saga still serving up plot twists. Meet the four bobsleighers whose lives changed forever after Sochi 2014.
"It was so heavily armed. Sealed buses, snipers all over the place, vehicles being searched... knowing you were always being watched was really quite bizarre," says Royal Air Force technician Benson.
Benson, who suspected Russia had been having additional secret training sessions, adds:"It all just contributed to making the atmosphere more intense than you expected." "I was just thinking 'what's down there?' because it's a prohibited area with no access for anyone else other than the Russians and officials with access-all-area passes.
Security was so tight because Putin was back to witness what he hoped would be another Russia gold, one that would confirm their place at the top the medal table before the closing ceremony later that evening.The 39-year-old bobsleigh veteran Alexander Zubkov, a friend of the Russian president, duly delivered as he piloted the hosts to victory. Jackson and his team came agonisingly close. They missed out on third place by just 0.11 seconds.
Hundreds of Russians were banned from the Rio 2016 Olympics, with a second report in December that year providing more details, stating that over 1,000 athletes from the nation had benefitted."We wouldn't say it at the time as we didn't want to get too excited if it didn't come true, but all four of us were looking at one another early on and there was kind of an acknowledgement that we came third," says Tasker.
Jackson, a royal marine commando who has served in conflict zones and witnessed real horrors, admits he was moved to tears by the news. "I loved the fact I was by myself because I was quite emotional. I just sat there grinning to myself when everyone came in, but didn't say anything until I got home to celebrate with my family.
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