Uhlaender in medal contention after day one of women’s skeleton World Championships

Photo credit: IBSF

ALTENBERG, Germany (Feb. 11, 2021) – Katie Uhlaender (Breckenridge, Colo.) enters tomorrow’s final heats of women’s skeleton World Championships 0.47 seconds seconds from the medals in fourth position. Kendall Wesenberg (Modesto, Calif.) is currently in 16th position, and Sara Roderick (Truro, Mass.) is 24th in her World Championship debut.

“Fourth position going into day two is all right,” Uhlaender said. “My confidence is coming back. I wish I had come to this track sooner, because it helps me dial in the feeling. Altenberg has a little bit of everything. I think I’m on a good trajectory going into next season, and I’m taking it one step at a time.”

Uhlaender’s driving ability and experience were on display today. She clocked the 12th best start time of 5.67 seconds in the opening heat, and drove her way into fifth position with a downtime of 58.62 seconds. The four-time Olympian bettered her push time to 5.63 in run two, and gained on the competition with a finish time of 58.83 seconds. Uhlaender, racing in her ninth career World Championships, is in fourth place going into tomorrow’s finale with a two-run combined time of 1:57.45.

“I have a lot to clean up,” Uhlaender said. “Every day I’m trying to improve, and my biggest need is to get my form together on the sled. Two more runs to go.”

Jacqueline Loelling leads for Germany with a combined time of 1:56.74. Elana Nikitina from Russia is 0.11 seconds behind in second position, followed by Germany’s Tina Hermann with a total time of 1:56.98.

Team USA’s Wesenberg posted a first run start time of 5.89 seconds for the 15th best time of 59.46 seconds. Hindered by a consistent snowfall, Wesenberg clocked a second heat start of 5.94 seconds. She hit out of corner four, but reined it in throughout the remainder of the run for a time of 59.89 seconds. Wesenberg heads into tomorrow’s finale in 16th place with a combined time of 1:59.35.

Today was Roderick’s World Championship debut, and only her third time racing in Altenberg. She posted consistent start times of 5.61 and 5.62 seconds for runs of 1:00.77 and 1:00.36, respectively. Roderick is in 24th position with an aggregate time of 2:01.13.

The women’s race will conclude with the third and fourth heats tomorrow at 9 a.m. local time/3 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. Jacqueline Loelling (GER) 1:56.74 (58.39, 58.35);

2. Elena Nikitina (GER) 1:56.85 (58.32, 58.53);

3. Tina Germann (GER) 1:56.98 (58.96, 58.02);

4. Katie Uhlaender (USA) 1:57.45 (58.62, 58.83);

16. Kendall Wesenberg (USA) 1:59.35 (59.46, 59.89);

24. Sara Roderick (USA) 2:01.13 (1:00.77, 1:00.36);

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.