View of the track in Sigulda.

Photo credit: IBSF / Viesturs Lacis

SIGULDA, Latvia (December 31, 2021) – The men’s skeleton World Cup in Sigulda today was the final race of 2021. Austin Florian (Southington, Conn.) and Andrew Blaser (Meridian, Idaho) represented the U.S. and finished 24th and 28th, respectively.

Florian had the eighth best start time of 4.57 seconds for the 24th ranked downtime of 51.97 seconds. Blaser pushed a start time of 4.71 seconds for a run of 52.19 seconds, placing him in 28th position. Only the top 20 competitors are granted a second run. This was Florian’s second time competing in Sigulda, and Blaser’s third.

Latvian brothers Tomass Dukurs and Martins Dukurs finished 1-2. Tomass Dukurs was victorious with a combined time of 1:41.36, and Martins Dukurs took silver in1:41.42. Martins Dukurs had the lead after the first heat, but fell 0.06 seconds behind his brother with a troublesome second run. Korean Seunggi Jung claimed bronze in 1:41.73.

The Sigulda event continues in the New Year tomorrow with women’s monobob at 9 a.m. local time, and two-man bobsled at 1:30 p.m. 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. Tomass Dukurs (LAT) 1:41.36 (50.67, 50.69);

2. Martins Dukurs (LAT) 1:41.42 (50.31, 51.11);

3. Seunggi Jung (KOR) 1:41.73 (50.64, 51.09);

24. Austin Florian (USA) (51.97, DNS);

28. Andrew Blaser (USA) (52.19, 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.

Florian and Blaser cap 2021 while racing in Sigulda’s men’s skeleton World Cup

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