When Ashleigh Nelson missed out on a place at Paris 2024, she thought her Olympic days were over. But then an Instagram message arrived that changed the Stoke sprinter's sporting life.
The sender was Adele Nicoll, the two-time British shot put champion turned bobsledder, who asked her fellow track and field athlete: “Would you consider coming to try bobsleigh?”
Nelson immediately responded with four laughing emojis, and six months later he's still laughing. Only now she is a full member of the Great Britain bobsleigh team and aims to become the second British woman, after Montell Douglas, to be selected for the Summer and Winter Olympics in different sports.
“I keep laughing because I think, 'How did I end up here?'” the 33-year-old tells Mail Sport from St Moritz, Switzerland, where the latest bobsleigh World Cup was held at the weekend.
'Everything has happened very quickly. But I will give it absolutely everything and if I make it to the Olympics, I will be absolutely elated. It would mean a lot to me.
'Apart from Montell, there is no one else who has done it from a British female perspective. That's why I would love to go down in the history books.
Ashleigh Nelson missed out on a place at Paris 2024 but hasn't looked back since
In athletics, Nelson won medals in the 4×100 meter relay at world, European and Commonwealth level.
The 33-year-old is now part of the bobsleigh team and has his sights set on the 2026 Winter Olympics.
In athletics, Nelson medaled in the 4×100 meter relay at World, European and Commonwealth level. She was also the first British woman in 40 years to win a European individual medal in the 100 meters when she took bronze in 2014.
Nelson was just 17 years old when she was chosen as a member of the relay team for her first Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, alongside her older brother Alex. He also obtained selection for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
But when ankle surgery ended his hopes of reaching a fourth Summer Games last year, he resigned himself to a life away from elite sport.
“When I had surgery in August 2023, I knew it was going to be difficult to come back, but I was at peace,” insists Nelson, whose cousin Curtis Nelson is a defender at Derby County. “I put it aside and said, 'If I never do the Olympics again, I'll actually be happy with all the effort I've put in.'
“When I didn't make it to Paris, I thought, 'Okay, I have to decide if we're going to continue with athletics, try to go to the World Championships next year or if that's the end.'
'And just when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, Adele came into my DMs!'
In that message last July, Nicoll told Nelson that his speed, power and strength were perfectly suited to pushing a sled. Nicoll saw similarities between the 5ft 9in Nelson and the 5ft 10in Douglas, the former sprinter and now Gladiators and Strictly Come Dancing star, who competed in the two-woman bobsleigh at Beijing 2022.
“I followed Adele on Instagram because she's also an athlete, we have mutual friends, and I liked some of her posts for a while,” Nelson explains. “Adele and Montell were brakemen together and I'm built like Montell, so I was probably thinking, 'I look like I could fit in.'
Nelson's move came after a conversation with Adele Nicoll (pictured), the two-time British shot put champion turned bobsledder.
She was selected for Beijing 2008, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 before last year's disappointment.
“When he texted me I laughed because I thought, ‘Oh God, what am I going to get myself into now?’ A few weeks later I went to the push track in Bath to have a go.
'The first few times I came down, I called my mom and said, “I don't know if this is for me.” Then I did it a few more times and said, “No, this is for me.”
'As much as I love athletics, and still do, after a while you can lose that enthusiasm. But bobsleigh just gave me a new life and a whole new excitement about being an athlete.
'There is also an element of danger involved that is not involved in athletics. It gives you that extra touch of adrenaline. Some of the tracks go down at 80 to 90 miles per hour, which is pretty scary. But when you're an athlete and a bit of a thrill seeker, it's pretty exciting.'
Nelson was officially selected for the British team before Christmas, just two months after her first ice race. She is currently the backup brakeman for 20-year-old Kya Placide, but made her debut with driver Nicoll in a World Cup event in Winterberg last weekend, placing 21st.
“I really enjoyed it and everyone was really impressed,” says Nelson. 'My mom watched the race and said, “I felt bad, but it was wonderful!”
'I hope to be able to do a few more races before the season ends and the World Championships take place in March. It will be difficult trying to get there because I will be facing another fantastic athlete like Kya. But that also makes it exciting. I'm used to competing with Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita. It's a great workout with her because iron sharpens iron.'
Asher-Smith, a former world 200m champion, is one of Nelson's many track and field friends who have wished him well in his new venture.
Dina Asher-Smith is one of Nelson's many friends in the world of athletics.
“She messaged me and was very supportive, and then we got on FaceTime and she was like, 'I have a good feeling about this for you, Ash,'” Nelson says. 'So I'm going to take Dina Asher's good feeling!' Smith and I'll keep going!'
However, good feelings will only take Nelson so far. While he is hoping to receive low-level Lottery funding, he will need to secure sponsorship if he is to make his new Olympic dream a reality.
“I'm learning that it's an incredibly expensive sport,” Nelson adds. 'We left home on December 28 and are not going to return until mid-March.
'I just found out that my clothing sponsor will no longer be sponsoring me next year. So I'll try to find a new apparel sponsor or see if I can find someone who wants to sponsor me or the team. “Hopefully I can reach people who have seen my career, believe in me and want to help me and two other women fulfill their dreams.”