TEAM USA CONTINUES SLIDING IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE WC SEASON
by Abby Slenker
INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA (Dec 17, 2023) - Team USA continued their successful journey into the World Cup season in Innsbruck this week.
In a back-to-back series of Women’s Monobob races, Kaysha Love again slid into two top-six finishes. After just barely missing the podium with a fourth-place finish in Race 1 with a time of 1:51.70, she came back the next day and earned a silver medal in Race 2 with a two-run time of 1:49.53.
“I'm proud of how Team USA is performing as a whole during this first half of the season. Especially with Frank [Del Duca] and I being nearly brand new to the World Cup, it’s very exciting to see some good performances. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to learn these new tracks…The goal this season is to learn and gain some experience; the results are truly just a plus,” shared Love about her performance.
Also in World Cup Monobob, Elana Meyers Taylor gave an outstanding performance, placing in the top six in both races. In the first race, she came in fifth with a time of 1:52.07. In the second race, she slid into a sixth-place finish with a time of 1:49.90.
In 2-Woman Bobsled, Meyers Taylor and Jasmine Jones placed sixth with a time of 1:45.82 while Love alongside Jestena Mattson placed eighth with a time of 1:46.44.
In Men’s World Cup Bobsled, Frank Del Duca and Josh Williamson placed fourth in 2-Man with a time of 1:42.75. In 4-Man, Del Duca, Williamson, Manteo Mitchell and Darius Joseph placed 15th with a time of 1:42.37.
On the World Cup Skeleton front, Sara Roderick and Mystique Ro slid into 16th and 19th place finishes in Women’s Skeleton, with 2-run times of 1:49.02 and 1:49.08 respectively. In Men’s Skeleton, Austin Florian came in 12th with a time of 1:45.88 and Dan Barefoot placed 22nd with a time of 1:47.00.
In the Para Sport World Cup taking place in Sigulda, Latvia, Bob Balk made the podium with his 1:28.49 finish in Para Bob earning him second place. Will Castillo and Austin Parker also competed, coming in 8th and 10th with their respective times of 1:28.90 and 1:29.85.
The Europe Cup (EC) also continued this week in Winterberg, Germany. In Men’s Skeleton, Nick Tucker placed 14th time his time of 1:54.94 and Hunter Williams placed 16th with his 1:55.15 time. In EC Women’s Skeleton, Michelle Toukan placed 13th with a time of 1:58.25.
Back on American soil, the North American (NAC) Cup continued in Park City, Utah. Katie Uhlaender slid into an excellent first-place finish with a time of 1:40.05 and Logan Wudi placed fifth with a time of 1:42.94 on Day 1 of NAC Women’s Skeleton. On Day 1 of Men’s Skeleton, Bradley Nicol placed fourth with his 1:39.50 finish, Noah Park placed 10th with a 1:41.78 time, Sam Allred placed 11th with a 1:41.96 finish, Darryl Payne placed 12th with his 1:42.49 finish, Baden Park placed 13th with his 1:42.56 finish and lastly Andrew Whittier-Neises placed 17th with his 1:43.61 finish. Day 2 of Women’s Skeleton brought some more great results for the Stars and Stripes. Uhlaender again earned a gold medal with her time of 1:39.86. Following closely in second was Wudi with her time of 1:41.74. In Men’s Skeleton, Nicol placed third with his time of 1:38.98, Payne placed fifth with his time of 1:39.63, B. Park placed 10th with a time of 1:41.51, N. Park placed 13th with his time of 1:42.13 and Whittier-Neises placed 14th with his time of 1:42.39.
In NAC Women’s Monobob, Lauren Brzozowski placed 2nd in Race 1 with a time of 1:44.01. Riley Tejcek and Sylvia Hoffman also competed, placing 6th and 8th with times of 1:44.43 and 1:55.38. In Race 2, Tejcek placed 3rd with a time of 1:44.34, Hoffman placed fifth with a time of 1:44.54 and Brzozowski placed sixth with a time of 1:44.62.
In 2-Man Bobsled, Kris Horn and David Simon slid into second in Race 1 with a time of 1:37.67, Grady Mercer and Brandon Jetter placed 8th with a time of 1:40.31 and Shane Fisher and Elliot Markuson placed 12th with a time of 1:41.79. In Race 2, Horn and Adrian Adams placed fourth with a time of 1:37.51, Geoff Gadbois and Bryce Cheek placed fourth with a time of 1:37.74, Mercer and Logan Radik placed ninth with a time of 1:40.45 and Fisher and Johnny Townsend placed 13th with a time of 1:42.92.
In NAC 2-Woman Bobsled, Brzozowski and Sydney Milani slid into a first-place finish in Race 1 with a time of 1:39.99. Hoffman and Rylie Matthews placed fifth with a time of 1:41.18 and Tejcek placed seventh alongside teammate Macy Tarlton with a time of 1:41.27. In Race 2, Brzozowski and Milani earned another podium finish with a third-place time of 1:40.61. Tejcek and Tarlton followed closely behind with a fourth-place time of 1:40.97 and Hoffman and Matthews placed sixth with a time of 1:41.69.
In NAC 4-Man Bobsled Race 1, Gadbois, Carsten Vissering, Cheek and Collin Storms placed fourth with a run time of 1:35.99 while Horn, Adams, Jace Johnson and Simon placed fifth with a time of 1:36.45. Race 2 brought a thrid-place finish for Team Gadbois with a time of 1:36.02 and Team Horn placed fourth with a time of 1:36.21.
Taking a break for the holiday season, World Cup races will resume in January 2024.
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About USA Bobsled/Skeleton
USA Bobsled/Skeleton is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton racing in the United States. Based in Lake Placid, NY, USA Bobsled/Skeleton oversees the development and training of American athletes at all levels of competition.