Successful day for RAF as Inter Services Ice Sports Championships draw to a close

The Inter Services Ice Sports Championships has drawn to a close in Lillehammer, Norway, with successes for competitors across the three services. 

It was an especially good championship for the Royal Air Force in the luge and the skeleton, as John Paul Kibble started off the day taking the luge title. 

After two runs where the two times are added together to produce the final result, Kibble said he is "over the moon" to have won the Luge event. 

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He said: "There has been lots of ups and downs, but it has all come together on race day. 

"I could not have been prouder of the guys today, everyone has put together some really, really good and fantastic times and, what this means to me after being involved in the sport for the past eight or nine years, I can't put it into words. 

"I'm absolutely over the moon and I am glad it all came together for me on race day."

There was double success for the RAF in the skeleton event as 2018 Olympian and New Zealand international Rhys Thornbury led the men to a 17th successive title and Chelsea Ainsley-Anyan narrowly took the women's title, beating her Royal Navy rival Sian Lewis by just -0.02 seconds. 

Speaking to Forces Sport after her run, she said: "It has been a great day for the RAF, the girls have done really well, we've grouped together and stayed together to make us come out on top."

In the bobsleigh, the Army took the women's title after several DNFs and disqualifications for the Navy and the RAF, but the individual winner was Rachel Herod for the light blues. 

The men's Bobsleigh competition proved to be a very close competition as PARA Nick Gleeson proved to be the most consistent driver of the field ahead of the Royal Marines and the RAF.

He said: "It's fantastic, it is a brilliant way to finish the race out here. I'm very proud of the guys of how they have come from novices to where we are now. 

"Fantastic race against the RAF, the Navy and the Marines, but it has been a really good Inter Services, just looking forward to next year now."

Military winter sports action now turns to the slopes of Meribel for the Inter Services Snow Sports Championships in just over a week's time, where Forces Sport will be streaming 'Super Thursday' LIVE on Forces News YouTube channel. Find out more on how you can follow the action from Meribel here.

WATCH: A remarkable save from the RAF's Thomas Johnson from this morning's Luge event at the Inter Services Ice Sports Championships in Lillehammer! ?

The rider comes off and then somehow gets back on again to safely complete his run. ? pic.twitter.com/h2pxff67hh

— BFBS Sport (@BFBSSport) March 3, 2023

Results

Men's Luge

1. John Paul Kibble - 1.50.345 
2. Steve Webb - 1.52.402 
3.  Scott Steele - 1.52.574 

Women's Luge

1. Dani Scott - 1.52.547 
2. Kaliska Clarke - 2.00.223 
3. Alisa ‘AJ’ Dermidy - 2.02.551 

Men's Skeleton

1. Rhys Thornbury - 3:35.70
2. Toby Edgill - 3:39.64
3. Kane Boyle - 3:41.04

Women's Skeleton

1. Chelsea Ainsley-Anyan - 3:45.26
2. Sian Lewis - 3:45.28
3. Nicole Burger - 3:45.77

Men's Bobsleigh

1. Nick Gleeson - 3:28.20
2. Adam Baird - 3:29.79
3. John Jackson - 3:31.11

Women's Bobsleigh

1. Rachel Herod - 3:40.91
2. Sienna Wilkinson - 3:42.93
3. Zoe Morris - 3:43.46