Bobsled duo falls short

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy:

The two-man bobsleigh team of Shane Pitter and Junior Harris delivered their best performance of the competition on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough to secure a spot in the fourth and final round of the XXV Winter Olympic Games at the historic Eugenio Monti Sliding Centre.

Despite a massive improvement in their third run, clocking 55.97 seconds after posting 56.68 and 56.72 in Monday's opening heats, the Jamaican pair finished with a combined time of 2:49.37, moving up one place to 22nd overall.

Only the top 20 teams advance to the medal-deciding final heat.

The Caribbean duo showed characteristic fight on the challenging Italian track, shaving nearly three-quarters of a second off their previous best to climb the standings. But the gap proved too large to bridge, leaving them just outside qualification territory.

For the Jamaicans, attention now shifts to the four-man event, which gets under way later this week.

Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago's Olympic journey also concluded in the two-man competition. The twin-island nation, competing in just their second Winter Games, finished 25th with a total time of 2:51.05.

- CMC