Mystique Ro pushes off at the start in Igls

IGLS, Austria (December 3, 2021)- Mystique Ro (Nokesville, Va.) convincingly won the women’s skeleton European Cup race in Igls this morning by nearly one second. This is Ro’s third medal performance on the European Cup tour this season. She claimed silver medals in Lillehammer and Winterberg, Germany in November, and she’s currently ranked third overall in European Cup points. This was Ro's first time racing in Igls.

“Mystique broke through this week as a result of her continued hard work,” said Caleb Smith, USA Skeleton Technical and Development Lead Coach. “She is relentless away from the track and it is paying off. There were only four training runs this week and I was impressed with how quickly she made necessary adjustments to get comfortable.”

It’s been seven years since an American won a European Cup race. The last time a U.S. athlete was on top of the podium was when Kendall Wesenberg won in Lillehammer, Norway in November 2014. 

Ro dominated in the first heat with the fastest start and finish times of 5.28 seconds and 54.14 seconds. She had the second fastest push time of 5.38 seconds in the final, and raced to the finish in 54.21 seconds for the quickest time of the heat. Ro won by a large margin of 0.83 seconds with a combined time of 1:48.35. 

Sarah Wimmer from Germany claimed the silver medal with a two-run total of 1:49.18, and Amelia Kellyman from Britain earned bronze in 1:49.29. 

American Michelle Toukan (Central City, Neb.) finished 17th with a cumulative time of 1:52.26. 

Hunter Williams (Carnegie, Penn.) was the sole entry for the U.S. in the men’s competition. In a deep field of 34 competitors, Williams finished 14th with a combined time of 1:47.48. He threaded together start times of 5.16 and 5.20 for runs of 53.61 and 53.87 seconds, respectively. This was Williams’ fourth career European Cup race, and his personal best finish to date.

Stefan Roettig claimed gold for Germany with a two-run total of 1:45.91. Russian Dmitrii Grevtsev was second in 1:46.13, and Jacob Salisbury from Britain was third in 1:46.26.

The European Cup tour will coincide with the Intercontinental Cup, making its next stop in Sigulda, Latvia. 

For media inquiries, please contact USABS Marketing and Communications Director Amanda Bird at amanda.bird@usabs.com.

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Results

Women’s skeleton

1. Mystique Ro (USA) 1:48.35 (54.14, 54.21);

2. Sarah Wimmer (GER) 1:49.18 (54.58, 54.60);

3. Amelia Kellyman (GBR) 1:49.29 (54.68, 54.61);

17. Michelle Toukan (USA) 1:52.26 (55.38, 56.88);

Men’s skeleton

1. Stefan Roettig (GER) 1:45.91 (52.94, 52.97);

2. Dmitrii Grebtsev (RUS) 1:46.13 (53.00, 53.13);

3. Jacob Salisbury (GRB) 1:46.26 (52.89, 53.37);

14. Hunter Williams (USA) 1:47.48 (53.61, 53.87);

About USA Bobsled/Skeleton

USA Bobsled/Skeleton (USABS), based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. For more information, please visit the USABS website at www.usabs.com.  Individuals interested in becoming a bobsled or skeleton athlete can visit www.usabobsledskeleton.com.