Florian in men’s skeleton World Championship top-10 at halfway point

Photo credit: IBSF

ALTENBERG, Germany (Feb. 11, 2021) – Austin Florian (Southington, Conn.) is in 10th position after the first two heats of the men’s skeleton World Championships in Altenberg. Austin McCrary (Colleyville, Texas) is in 28th position in his World Championship debut.

“I’m really proud of this team,” said USA Skeleton Head Coach Tuffy Latour. “This hasn’t been an easy season for anyone. Our athletes have put in the work, have remained flexible, and things are coming together as a result.”

This is Florian’s third World Championship appearance. The former ski racer was quick off the start with competitive push times of 4.99 and 4.98 seconds, fifth and fourth best of the competition, respectively. Florian navigated to the finish in 57.48 and 57.30 seconds for a two-run combined time of 1:54.78 to place him in the top-10 going into tomorrow’s final heats. 

McCrary clocked identical start times of 5.56 seconds, and navigated to the finish in 58.90 and 59.18 seconds. McCrary is in 28th position with a total time of 1:58.08 going into the finale.

Alexander Tretiakov from Russia leads at halftime with a cumulative time of 1:53.30. Germany’s Felix Keisinger and Christopher Grotheer are in the battle for the lead with Tretiakov. Keisinger is a mere 0.04 seconds behind, and Grotheer is 0.06 seconds off the pace.

Men’s skeleton World Championships continue tomorrow with the final heats at 1 p.m. local time/7 a.m. EST. Fans can watch the races on NBCSN, OlympicChannel.com, and the Olympic Channel. 

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

Results

1. Alexander Tretiakov (RUS) 1:53.30 (56.58, 56.72);

2. Felix Keisinger (GER) 1:53.34 (56.65, 56.69);

3. Christopher Grotheer (GER) 1:53.36 (56.74, 56.62);

10. Austin Florian (USA) 1:54.78 (57.48, 57.30);

28. Austin McCrary (USA) 1:58.08 (58.90. 59.18);

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.