Patrick Singleton snatched an excellent fourth-place finish at skeleton?s Nagano Championships at the weekend, despite only just having recovered from a bout of chicken pox.

The Bermudian slider, who has swapped the luge for the skeleton, was among a select field of Japan?s best competitors and his finish represents his best result to date.

?It was a difficult week, actually, because I caught chicken pox shortly after the Japan Championships,? he said from Japan. ?The doctor said they are a little worse when you are older and I was laid up in bed, quarantined for about ten days and wasn?t able to train. I lost a lot of strength in my legs and it was a little tough coming back.?

Singleton, who is aiming to represent Bermuda at the Winter Games in Turin, Italy in 2006, was only able to train for a few days prior to the meet.

?It was a little difficult to get the helmet on my head because of the blisters,? he said. ?It was even more difficult to get the sprint shoes on because I wear them really tight and I had blisters on my feet.

?As a result my start time was significantly slower than usual. I am not sure whether it was as a result of the chicken pox or because I had not been able to train.

?Because of that I just physically couldn?t catch the top three guys.?

Singleton had actually beaten all three of them in Calgary in December but he was unable to repeat the feat at the weekend, the winner breaking the track record on his way to the title.

?They are right on the world class level,? he said. ?I think I might have been able to take third (if had been well) but I don?t think I could have got first or second ? maybe after one more season.?

Singleton has come on in leaps and bounds since making the switch from luge.

?I was so happy because my time is two seconds faster than last year which is enormous,? he said. ?The gap between me and them (rivals) is only about half a second and my start is so slow. It?s four-tenths slower and they are beating me by half-a-second so if I can improve that then . . .?

?I now know that I can slide very well and that my lines are as good as anyone in the world, now all I need to do is improve my start. That is a very easy thing to do as opposed to trying to get better as a slider,? he added.

?I have to go and talk to the Bermuda national track and field coach and see if he can give me some pointers and then work on the start. It?s only a 30 metre sprint that I need to get faster in and that?s just a case of weight room and physical training I think, so I am really encouraged by it.?

Singleton heads to Europe later this week in readiness for the a race that will decide whether or not he makes the World Championships in K?nigssee, Germany later in the month.

The event is in Altenberg, in what was East Germany, and is the sport?s European Championships, a World Cup and Challenge Cup meet all wrapped into one.

?I don?t know if my strength and speed will come back in time, I just hope that it?s a very difficult dangerous track and the other competitors are scared of making mistakes and I can catch them,? he said.