GO GOLD Athlete of the Week: Adam Hames

It's not a sport that's too accessible in Britain, but Adam Hames has managed to carve out an already impressive career in the sport of bobsleigh.

Having already racked up impressive placings in Championships across Europe, Hames took time out from training and studying to provide an insight into a world that isn't reported too much.

1. Where has your sport taken you so far during your career?

Being a winter sport, bobsleigh has taken me all over the world already including Canada, Norway, Austria, Switzerland and Germany to name a few. My favourite place to compete at has to be St Moritz, Switzerland purely because of the culture there.

2. How many hours a week do you spend training?

An average week for me consists of 4-5 gym sessions, 2 sprint sessions and a plyometric session. This see's me racking up between 14-16 hours of training per week. On top of this I have physio sessions and cryotherapy to aid my recovery and improve performance.

3. How did you get into your sport?

From a young age I thought I was destined to excel in karate and by age 14 had several British titles and became Wado-Kai European Champion in 2014. It was after the Europeans when I made a big change to bobsleigh. I got into bobsleigh through an open trial at Loughborough University which I heard about on the radio. I went through each stage of the performance pathway completing tests such as 60m sprints, bounding and pushing a weighted sled and found myself on the Great Britain Bobsleigh Team just 2 months after trailing. I then went on to compete in my first international just 3 months after the first trail where I placed 2nd in the first Youth World Cup race in Lillehammer, Norway.

4. Who are your role models and why?

There is one stand out role model for me, Conor McGregor. He not only displays incredible athleticism and skill but what makes him a role model to me is how far he has come. He put absolutely everything into sport to get where he is which is completely admirable.

5. What is your favourite thing about you sport?

Training. There is nothing I love more than smashing out a big gym session knowing that I'm getting faster and stronger each time. I think it's so important to enjoy training otherwise it's so easy to lose motivation. Bobsleigh training is all about increasing power output through heavy, fast lifting and short powerful sprints.

6. How has GO GOLD helped you over the years?

GoGold's support is absolutely invaluable to me as it allows me to focus entirely on my training and sport and not have to worry about balancing part time work to fund the essential extra's such as physio costs and supplements to aid my training. Without the funding from LRS GoGold I would find it very hard to put 100% into my sport and myself and my family are extremely grateful for everyone involved in supporting me to date.