Bobsleigh World Cup: Mica McNeill & Montell Douglas finish fourth

Mica McNeill and Montell Douglas have enjoyed success in the North American Cup this season

Britain's Mica McNeill and Montell Douglas missed out on a medal by 0.04 seconds in the two-women bobsleigh at the World Cup in Altenburg, Germany.

They led by 0.04secs after the first run, but a disposable cup which found its way on to the track hit McNeill on the hand early in the second.

A GB protest was rejected, but a timing error at the top was found and they were promoted from sixth to fourth.

Germany's Olympic champion Mariama Jamanka and Annika Drazek won.

Canada's Christine De Bruin and Kristen Bujnowski were second, 0.31secs behind, and America's Elana Meyers Taylor and Lake Kwaza third.

It was the best World Cup finish for McNeill, 25, and Douglas, 32.

"It's a bittersweet result," McNeill told BBC Sport.

"I felt something hit me and when I got to the bottom of the track I was told it was a cup.

"That's when we asked the jury to review the footage and they discovered the timing was wrong.

"We're gutted at being so close to first, but at the same time it's our best World Cup finish."

McNeill, a former world junior champion whose previous senior World Cup best was fifth with Mica Moore in Whistler in 2017, was forced to resort to crowd funding to compete at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, where she and Moore finished eighth.

After Moore's decision to concentrate on her studies this season, McNeill teamed up with former sprinter Douglas.

They finished seventh in their opening World Cup race of the season in Winterburg last month.

British bobsleigh lost its funding after a disappointing Winter Games.

UK Sport provided a small amount of funding to help Britain compete at the World Championships in March.