Photo credit: IBSF / Viesturs Lacis

SIGULDA, Latvia (December 29, 2021) – Many bobsled and skeleton athletes will ring in the New Year in Sigulda this week while racing in the sixth World Cup event of the season. The Sigulda track is only suitable for two-man bobsleds, and will feature two two-man races as a result. Two four-man bobsled races were held in Winterberg, Germany earlier this season to balance out the disciplines.

The schedule is as follows, with all times listed in local time:

Friday, December 31

9:30 a.m.: Women’s skeleton run #1

11 a.m.: Women’s skeleton run #2

2:35 p.m.: Men’s skeleton run #1

4:20 p.m.: Men’s skeleton run #2

Saturday, January 1

9 a.m.: Women’s monobob run #1

10:30 a.m.: Women’s monobob run #2

1:30 p.m.: Two-man bobsled run #1

3 p.m.: Two-man bobsled run #2

Sunday, January 2

9 a.m.: Two-woman bobsled run #1

10:30 a.m.: Two-woman bobsled run #2

1:30 p.m.: Two-man bobsled run #1

3 p.m.: Two-man bobsled run #2

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.

Andrew Blaser (Meridian, Idaho) is the top ranked U.S. men’s skeleton athlete in international standings at the break and was moved to the World Cup tour from the Intercontinental Cup. He’s raced in Sigulda twice before; once in the 2018 World Cup race, and again just a few weeks ago in the Intercontinental Cup. He will be joined by Austin Florian (Southington, Conn.) on Friday. Florian competed in the February 2020 World Cup in Latvia, where he finished 19th.

 

The women’s skeleton team consists of Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.), Megan Henry (Roxbury, Conn.) and Kelly Curtis (Princeton, N.J.). Uhlaender has raced in two World Cup events in Sigulda, and finished as high as fourth in 2004. Henry competed in the 2020 World Cup, when she finished 17th, and this will be Curtis’ first time sliding the Latvian course.

Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) will represent Team USA in the women’s bobsled races this weekend. Lake Kwaza (Sycamore, Ill.) will make her first World Cup appearance this season. The last time she competed in a World Cup race she claimed silver with Meyers Taylor in January 2021 in Igls, Austria. Meyers Taylor competed once in Sigulda with Sylvia Hoffman in 2018. The duo were disqualified after being third in the first run because their sled was too light. Kaillie Humphries (Carlsbad, Calif.) opted to take an extended break and will return to the World Cup for the final two races in Winterberg, Germany and St. Moritz, Switzerland. 

Hunter Church (Cadyville, N.Y.) will race with Kris Horn (Pembroke, Mass.) in the first two-man race on Saturday, and with Josh Williamson (Lake Mary, Fla.) on Sunday. Codie Bascue (Whitehall, N.Y.) and Carlo Valdes (Newport Beach, Calif.) are paired together on Saturday, and Bascue will race with Hakeem Abdul Saboor (Powhatan, Va.) in the second two-man event. This will be Church’s first career competition in Sigulda. Bascue has raced once on the Latvian track in December 2018, when he finished ninth and 13th.

There are two World Cup events remaining after Sigulda. The U.S. will name its 2022 Olympic team by January 17th.

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

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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.