Photo: Austin Florian pops the groove at the start

WINTERBERG, Germany (December 10, 2021) – It was a tough start for the U.S. team in the opening race of the Winterberg World Cup this morning. John Daly (Smithtown, N.Y.) and Austin Florian (Southington, Conn.) struggled in the men’s skeleton competition, finishing 21st and 30th. 

Daly was the first competitor to take a run and he kicked things off with a start time of 5.07 seconds, which was 26th of the field. He crossed the finish line in 56.66 seconds and was just 0.01 seconds from making the cutoff for the second heat. The three-time Olympian finished 21st. 

Florian’s sled popped out of the groove at the start, and he nearly missed loading onto his sled. While he was able to recover to complete his run, he lost too much time at the start to remain competitive. Florian finished 30th with a downtime of 58.42 seconds.

Alexander Tretiakov from Russia broke the track record en route to claiming gold with a combined time of 1:51.05. Team Germany took home silver and bronze. Axel Junk earned silver with a total time of 1:51.34. Christopher Grotheer came from sixth place in the first heat to take the bronze medal with a two-run combined time of 1:51.64. 

The women’s skeleton competition is up next at 2:30 p.m. local time. Streaming will be available via desktop at olympics.com/en/live/, and via mobile, tablet and connected television platforms on the Olympic Channel app. Check local listings for broadcast times on the Olympic Channel and OlympicChannel.com.

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

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Results

1. Alexander Tretiakov (RUS) 1:51.05 (55.55, 55.50);

2. Axel Junk (GER) 1:51.34 (55.67, 55.67);

3.Christopher Grotheer (GER) 1:51.64 (55.94, 55.70);

21. John Daly (USA) (56.66, DNS);

30. Austin Florian (USA) (58.42, 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.