KRISTAN Bromley admits it feels ‘weird’ not competing in a Winter Olympics for the first time in 20 years.

But the former skeleton bob world champion from the Rossendale Valley will definitely not be just an interested onlooker in Pyeongchang.

The 45-year-old knows the sport inside out; as a competitor and a sled designer, he has been involved from the drawing board to the finishing line for the best part of two decades.

Off the track, rather than on it, Bromley is busier than ever.

For as well as watching more than 60 per cent of the athletics hurtling down the track in speeds of excess of 100km per hour on sleds designed by him and his brother Richard, Bromley has a hands on role with three nations competing for glory in South Korea.

He is mentoring Great Britain’s big hope Dom Parsons, he’s performance director for the Netherlands - as well as coaching Kimberley Bos - and is also head of technology for Norway’s skeleton bob team.

Bromley is hoping his experiences of competing in the last four Winter Olympics is now helping the new breed of athlete - and he’s happy he is not having to squeeze in to the speed suits anymore.

“It does feel a bit weird not actually competing,” said Bromley who comes from Waterfoot. “But to be honest, I don’t miss the training.

“When I retired, I was 43 and my body was stuck together with sticky tape.

“I don’t miss it, after 18 years on the World Cup I was ready to call it day, let’s say that. And I was ready for a new challenge.

“I definitely got the most out of my career and I took it as far as I could.”

Bromley certainly made the most of his career. He was the first man to win the World Cup, World Championship and European Championship in the same year back in 2008 - a feat only repeated once since - and flew the flag for Great Britain in Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Turin, Vancouver and Sochi - a fifth place finish in Italy in 2006 his best result.

While a coveted Winter Olympic medal eluded him, Bromley admits he is happy with his achievements.

“It’s interesting really, you only get recognised in the Olympics if you win a medal,” he said. “But I look back and I am still pretty pleased with things because I look at the last three Olympics and I was still one of the highest performers in the British team.

“I just never really made that last step.”

Bromley knows his experiences can only benefit those he is now working with as he has been there and done it many times before.

“I know how the athletes are feeling and how they are dealing with things in the build up to the Winter Olympics because I have done it myself,” he said. “The amount of attention coming in from the media and the size of the event, it is on a completely different level.

“The athletes will be feeling nervous so I am aware of the attention that is coming their way now.

“Most of the athletes I am working with have never been to the Olympics before so it will be a completely new experience for them so hopefully I can help them to manage that and deal with those emotions.”

Despite working with three different countries, Bromley says there is not a conflict of interests.

“Working with multiple athletes actually helps,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we work together, because they are in their own teams, but I am central to that process. “I help them and work out trends in what is happening quicker with more athletes. It actually benefits them that we have multiple athletes.”

Bromley admits coaching is the next best thing to competing.

“Passing that information and knowledge over is the reason why I took on the position with these small countries,” he said. “Norway is one of the big power houses in winter sport but it’s skeleton team is particularly small.

“But the Netherlands team especially, I really wanted to see if I could make a difference, an athlete with talent like Kimberley and just me.

“Kimberley has an outside chance. Last year in the test event, she was third in Korea and won a bronze medal in the World Cup.

“But she is still a junior and is a bit of an unknown at the moment.”

And Bromley the coach sees a lot of similarities with Bromley the competitor.

“What I am doing coaching with the smaller countries mirrors my own days competing,” he said. “I was always the David and they were the Goliath, I was always up against the big team, certainly in my earlier years and I to be honest, I thrive off that challenge.

“That is what make me tick.”