Kaillie Humphries and Sylvia Hoffman receive their bronze medals.

ALTENBERG, Germany (December 19, 2021) –Kaillie Humphries (Carlsbad, Calif.) teamed with Sylvia Hoffman (Arlington, Texas) to claim the bronze medal in the two-woman bobsled World Cup race in Altenberg today. This is Humphrie’s second medal performance in two-woman bobsled this season, and Hoffman’s first medal this season. Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) and Lauren Gibbs (Los Angeles, Calif.) were just 0.05 seconds behind their teammates in fourth. 

“These women are incredible and I’m super honored to coach them,” said USA Bobsled Head Coach Mike Kohn. “I couldn’t be more proud of their success, but I’m even more proud of their sportsmanship and professionalism while representing this team.”

Humphries didn’t push on her only day of two-woman training in Altenberg, opting to sit in the sled at the start while nursing a hamstring injury.

“I sat in on Tuesday, which was our only training day for two-woman, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to keep up with the sled or if I would need to get in early today,” Humphries said. “We played it smart, and the goal was to leave here no worse off than when I came. Sylvia did an amazing job, and I’m so glad she was willing to get behind me knowing that I wasn’t in my best form.”

Humphries and Hoffman had the fifth fastest start time of 5.71 seconds in the first heat, and were in fourth position with a downtime of 57.64 seconds. The duo bettered their start by one-hundredth of a second, and Humphries navigated the team to the finish with the third fastest run of 57.28 seconds. It was enough to move Humphries and Hoffman up a spot into bronze medal position with a combined time of 1:54.92.

Humphries will return to the U.S. for the holiday, and plans to skip the sixth World Cup race in Sigulda, Latvia.

“I’m looking forward to getting some recovery and a good chunk of time for training over the holiday,” Humphries said. 

Meyers Taylor and Gibbs were dominant at the start today with the fastest push times of 5.62 and 5.64 seconds. Meyers Taylor put together the third and fifth best downtimes of 57.55 and 57.42 seconds, respectively. The American pair finished just 0.05 seconds from the medals in fourth with a two-run total of 1:54.97.

Meyers Taylor said this is the first time she hasn’t crashed in Altenberg, which is one of the most challenging tracks in the world. While she’s satisfied with her runs, she’s discontent with the result.

“I’m happy I drove well, but still frustrated because I always want to be in the medals,” Meyers Taylor said. “Lauren pushed great and it was fun to have her back in the sled with me.”

This was Gibb’s first World Cup since January 2021, when she finished sixth with Humphries in Koenigssee, Germany. 

Team Germany claimed gold and silver today. Kim Kalicki and Lisa Buckwitz were victorious with a combined time of 1:54.49, while Mariama Jamanks and Alexandra Burghardt took silver in 1:54.71.

The four-man bobsled 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. Kim Kalicki and Lisa Buckwitz (GER) 1:54.49 (57.42, 57.07);

2. Mariama Jamanka and Alexandra Burghardt (GER) 1:54.71 (57.49, 57.22);

3. Kaillie Humphries and Sylvia Hoffman (USA) 1:54.92 (57.64, 57.28);

4. Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs (USA) 1:54.97 (57.55, 57.42);

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.