BOBSLEIGH: With nothing to lose, Australia’s women’s Bobsleigh pair are looking to shake up the rankings at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

Astrid Radjenovic and Jana Pittman will take on the world’s best, starting on Tuesday at the Sanki Sliding Centre.

Fifteen years ago Pittman and Radjenovic trained together as hurdlers, now they’re together again representing their country at the Olympics.

Radjenovic took up Bobsleigh 11 years ago and has been to two Winter Games.

The 31-year-old was the pilot at both the Torino and Vancouver Olympics, while this is only Pittman’s second season in Bobsleigh.

Pittman too becomes a three-time Olympian in Sochi, but her first time at a Winter Olympics. The 30-year-old represented the country in hurdles at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics and becomes the first Australian female to make the cross over from Summer to Winter Olympics.

Equipped with a new sled, the pair is aiming to better their best result in competition, a 12^th, with a top 10 finish in Sochi.

A top 10 finish will be hard fought, with a number of previous medallists and World Champions contesting the event.

Looking on course for her second gold, Canada’s Kaillie Humphries is the one to keep an eye on. The reigning Olympic and World Cup Champion will partner with brakeperson Heather Moyse and will be looking to emulate her success since Vancouver, in Sochi.

It will be tough task to beat Humphries, but American Elana Meyers has been racking up top-five finishes in all competition in the 2013/14 World Cup Season. The bronze medallist from Vancouver looks like she might be able to take home a second Olympic Bobsleigh medal.  

Team USA looks strong in this event, having won a medal at every Winter Olympics since the discipline was introduced in 2002.

The six women who will represent the USA in Sochi have collectively earned 12 medals in World Cup events this season and the three pilots; Meyers, Jamie Greubel and Jazmine Fenlator, are currently ranked among the top-10 drivers in the international standings.

Just outside the medals at Vancouver, another key challenger for the podium will be Sandra Kiriasis of Germany. The 39-year-old gold medallist from Torino has been racing consistently in the top five in World Cups and European Championships for the past eight years.

All Bobsleigh events are held in a four-heat format over two days of racing. Medals are awarded based on total time over the four runs, with the winner having the lowest overall time.

The men’s 2-man event began on Sunday 16 February, the women’s begins on Tuesday 18 February and the men’s 4-man on Saturday 22 February.