Team GB face a daunting task to claim an Olympic medal in the four-man bobsleigh

Team GB face an uphill task to win an Olympic medal in the four-man bobsleigh as they sit seventh at the halfway point.

Pilot Brad Hall demonstrated why the British team were in contention for the medal in Cortina with a time of 54.39 seconds, which left them in third place.

But they fell off the pace in the second group, clocking 55.04 seconds – the 12th fastest time in the second heat – to drop four places in the standings ahead of Sunday’s crucial heat.

The three German teams remain the ones to beat and occupy the top three with Johannes Lochner, who won two-man gold earlier this week, leading the competition with a combined time of 1:48:61.

There was a long delay to the competition on the slippery Cortina track after Austria was involved in an accident during the second heat, with one athlete being treated for a long time on the ice before being extended.

Action resumed after about a 20-minute delay, but with the track now slowed due to the rising temperature, the British team were unable to find the pace for their first lap and currently sit at 1:49:43.

More to follow.