Great Britain's John Jackson posted the third-fastest time in one of today's practice sessions for the four-man bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics.
The country's first-choice pilot was seventh in his opening run at the Sanki Sliding Center, but climbed into the top three after his second attempt.
The 36-year-old told the Team GB website: "After all the work at our preparation camp in Germany, it was pleasing to see our hard work paying off after a good first day of training."
Latvia's Oskars Melbardis set the pace in the first run, while Alexander Zubkov, Russia's gold medal winner in the two-man competition, was quickest in the second practice.
The competition gets underway on Saturday.
