Kendall Wesenberg during a World Cup race run in Igls in 2017
Photo credit: Getty Images

IGLS, Austria (December 3, 2021) –Kendall Wesenberg (Modesto, Calif.), Savannah Graybill (Denver, Pa.) and Sara Roderick (Truro, Mass.) finished in the women’s skeleton top-10 in today’s Intercontinental Cup race in Igls. Wesenberg was the highest finisher in seventh. Andrew Blaser (Meridian, Idaho) and Daniel Barefoot (Johnstown, Pa.) tied for 17th place to lead the American men, and Stephen Garbett (Parker, Colo.) finished 22nd.

Wesenberg posted start times of 5.59 and 5.64 seconds for runs of 54.51 and 54.59 seconds, respectively. Her second run was sixth best of the field, and the 2018 Olympian was just 0.05 seconds from a top-six finish today. Wesenberg finished seventh with a combined time of 1:49.10.

“Overall I felt pretty good today,” Wesenberg said. “My legs aren’t quite back to where I would like them to be, but Caleb (Smith) was great in helping us break down the track in the two days of training that we had. The team was able to adapt to a much more chill track this week and put the pieces together well today.”

Roderick finished ninth with a two-run total of 1:49.35. She clocked the second and fourth fastest start times of 5.35 and 5.28 seconds for runs of 54.56 and 54.79 seconds. Roderick said she struggled “switching gears” to a track like Igls, which requires more finesse.

“I unfortunately didn’t make the most of my training runs,” Roderick said. “It just sort of bottled up into frustration. Today I was able to get my objectives straight and put focus on some key elements to piece it together a little better.”

Graybill rounded out the top-10 with a cumulative time of 1:49.54 after clocking runs of 54.81 and 54.73 seconds. Graybill said she had a mishap at the start in the first heat, which resulted in the 17th ranked push time.

“I’m disappointed with today’s results,” Graybill said. “A misstep at the start on my first run led to a poor push. While I’m proud of the run I put together despite that, I had already dug a hole that I couldn’t get myself out of. I’m looking forward to Sigulda and getting myself back on track to a top performance.

Dan Zhao from China won by a margin of 0.22 seconds with an aggregate time of 1:48.25. German Susanne Kreher claimed the silver medal in 1:48.47, and Canadian Hallie Clarke earned bronze in 1:48.60.

In the men’s race, Blaser and Barefoot had identical combined times of 1:46.71 to tie for 17th place. Blaser clocked runs of 53.41 and 53.30 seconds, while Barefoot raced to the finish in 53.44 and 53.27 seconds. Garbett was 22nd with a downtime of 53.63 seconds, and missed the top-20 cutoff for the second heat.

Zheng Yin led China to a sweep of the gold medals by winning the men’s race with a total time of 1:44.44. Evgeniy Rukosuev from Russia was second with a combined time of 1:45.03, and his teammate Daniil Romananov was third in 1:45.13.

The Intercontinental Cup will make its final two stops in Sigulda, Latvia and Altenberg, Germany. Competitions will take place in Sigulda on December 13, and from January 5-6 in Altenberg.

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

###

Results

Women’s skeleton

1. Dan Zhao (CHN) 1:48.25 (54.07, 54.18);

2. Susanne Kreher (GER) 1:48.47 (54.21, 54.26);

3. Hallie Clarke (CAN) 1:48.60 (54.28, 54.32);

7. Kendall Wesenberg (USA) 1:49.10 (54.51, 54.59);

9. Sara Roderick (USA) 1:49.35 (54.56, 54.79);

10. Savannah Graybill (USA) 1:49.54 (54.81, 54.73);

Men’s skeleton

1. Zheng Yin (CHN) 1:44.44 (52.45, 51.99);

2. Evgeniy Rukosuev (RUS) 1:45.03 (52.58, 52.45);

3. Daniil Romanov (RUS) 1:45.13 (52.54, 52.59);

T-17. Andrew Blaser (USA) 1:46.71 (53.41, 53.30);

T-17. Daniel Barefoot (USA) 1:46.71 (53.44, 53.27);

22. Stephen Garbett (USA) (53.63, DNS);

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.

Wesenberg, Graybill and Roderick lead USA Skeleton with top-10 finishes in Igls Intercontinental Cup

Loading...

Loading...