Among New Zealand's 21 athletes preparing for the Winter Olympics in South Korea, none have a back story to compare with Rhys Thornbury.
You won't have heard of him unless you are a student of the skeleton, not the bony variety but the Olympic sport which combines strength, skill, nerve and boldness as racers fly down a course head-first on a sled. The luge is similar, except the athletes lie on their back and go feet-first.
Thornbury lives in England, works as a weapons technician for the Royal Air Force and has been training full time, on full pay, for three years, courtesy of the RAF.
Duncan Campbell • Men's Snowboard Cross seeding round, Phoenix Snow Park, from 2.55pm on Sky Channel 55. Finals at 5.25pm.
Campbell will compete in the snowboard cross event which begins with seeding where each rider sets a time down the course. That will be followed by the quarter-final races where the top three of each six person race advance.
Campbell secured fifth place at the World Championships in Spain last year and in a sport where favourites could easily tumble, anyone in the final will have a chance to earn a medal.
• Shane Dobbin has withdrawn from the 10K speed skating to enable optimal preparation for the Team Pursuit event.
Ice hockey • 4.10pm: Finland v Germany (men), USA v Canada (women) • 6.40pm: Norway v Sweden (men), OAR v Finland (women) • 1.10am: Czech Republic v Korea (men).
