Gladiator Montell Douglas reveals her biggest challenge ever as she switched from the Summer to the Winter Olympics
Montell Douglas is known as Fire on the hit show Gladiators but she made history as the first British woman to do the Summer and Winter Olympics double; the former sprinter and bobsledder reflects on the challenges of moving to an unfamiliar sport
Last Updated: 26/03/25 5:16pm
Gladiator Montell Douglas, known as Fire, does not shy away from a challenge but her biggest one to date came when she transitioned from sprinting to bobsleigh.
The former sprinter, bobsledder, now Gladiator and Strictly star from London, was the first British woman to do the Summer/Winter Olympics double, but this was not without its difficulties.
"My first Olympic Games it was like 38 degrees, went to my second Olympic Games and it was minus 26," Douglas told Sky Sports.
In 2008, she made her first Olympics, running in the 100m and 4x100m relay in Beijing alongside now-broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye. Despite being one of the favourites for a medal, the British team failed to get the relay baton across the finish line.
But in 2016, Douglas would move from sprinting to bobsleigh with the opportunity to return to Beijing looming.
"It was a new environment, I had never seen mountains before, being from south-east London they're just not a thing because there's buildings everywhere, so I had to train my mind as well as my body," Douglas said.
"It was extremely difficult, but I used the skills that I was good at, which is just running fast in a straight line to be honest, and took it from the track to the ice."
Douglas made her bobsleigh debut with a top-10 finish in 2017 at the World Cup, later earning a seventh-placed finish at an event in St Moritz. Then 14 years on from her first Olympics, Douglas returned to Beijing at 36 years old for her second Olympics - but this time in the bobsleigh.
She said: "Trying to attack making history after not being selected in 2018 [for the Winter Olympics] and then going 'right actually there hasn't been any British woman to do the summer/winter double, let me work hard for the next four years and that can be me'.
"I am one of only two women in the world to have done that, so when I was there I was like 'wow that's very greedy of me and very unique'.
"Also both being at Beijing, I got to see both sides of one of the best cities, the thing that was so beautiful for me being there the second time was going to the Opening Ceremony which I didn't do in 2008 when I was 22.
"So walking out at 36 years old into that same nest [the stadium is called The Bird's Nest], my favourite track in the world but now about to do bobsleigh in the mountains was such an amazing feeling.
"To know that actually no one has ever done what you are about to do, it was a really proud moment and it was really difficult to tap into that and hold onto it."
A year on from making her second Olympics, Douglas would become one of the new Gladiators for the show's reboot, taking on yet another competitive yet exciting challenge. However, Fire's stint on Gladiators has not ruled out a return to the track or ice for Douglas.
"I never say never, which is why I have never officially retired from a sport I have done with an announcement, because you never know where you are going to be," said Douglas.
"But I am very happy being a Gladiator and you don't want to risk anything as well because part of what you do is making sure you are in one piece and I have all that support around me.
"Never say never, I didn't know I was going to be dancing on TV in front of the nation for three months, so we never know."
Douglas is also studying towards a masters degree in sports directorship, with hopes of moving into a leadership role in the future, while encouraging other women to do the same.
"To see it [Kirsty Coventry elected as the first female president of the International Olympic Committee] happening right in front of my eyes is such an amazing thing and it is super empowering to see a way in.
"It is hard to achieve it if you don't see it, so now we have that beacon saying even if you don't think you're going to get it, we want to keep pushing women to at least try.
"And I think that is what this is going to do, it is going to give women confidence to go for it when you can, but also you have someone in your corner fighting for the issues that we face."
