Meyers Taylor and Kwaza tie Reinbolt and Evans for two-woman bobsled team trials race win today; Bascue and Valdes victorious in two-man bobsled
by USA Bobsled/Skeleton
Contact: Amanda Bird, USABS Marketing and Communications Director
(518) 354-2250, amanda.bird@usabs.com
Meyers Taylor and Kwaza tie Reinbolt and Evans for two-woman bobsled team trials race win today;
Bascue and Valdes victorious in two-man bobsled
Photo credit: Jimmy Reed
Codie Bascue and Carlo Valdes push off the start
Lake Placid, N.Y. (March 20, 2021)– Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) and Lake Kwaza (Sycamore, Ill.) tied Brittany Reinbolt (Searcy, Ark.) and Aja Evans (Chicago, Ill.) for the two-woman bobsled win in today’s continuation of 2021-2022 USA Bobsled National Team Trials in Lake Placid. Codie Bascue (Whitehall, N.Y.) and Carlo Valdes (Newport Beach, Calif.) were victorious by 0.40 seconds in the two-man competition.
Meyers Taylor and Kwaza had a lead of 0.20 seconds in the first heat after pushing off the start block in 5.52 seconds for a downtime of 57.22 seconds. Nicole Vogt (Dallas, Texas) and Lauren Gibbs (Los Angeles, Calif.) were in second with a start time of 5.74 and a finish of 57.42 seconds, followed by Reinbolt and Evans in third with a 5.54-second push and a run of 57.49 seconds.
Reinbolt and Evans left nothing on the line in the second heat, blasting off the start block with a matching push time of 5.54 seconds. Reinbolt piloted the team to the finish in 57.47 seconds for a combined time of 1:54.96, and waited on the dock to see how their time would hold up. Vogt and Gibbs finished in 1:55.16, moving Reinbolt and Evans up at least one spot. Meyers Taylor and Kwaza clocked the same start time as Reinbolt and Evans before crossing the finish line with an identical combined time of 1:54.96 for a two-way tie for gold.
Kaillie Humphries (Carlsbad, Calif.) earned a bye with her world championship win last month and did not race today.
Bascue and Valdes led in both heats to win the men’s race with a combined time of 1:51.84. The duo pushed off the start in 5.22 seconds for a first heat time of 55.70 seconds to take the early lead. They bettered their push to 5.20 seconds in the second heat, and maintained their lead to the finish for a downtime of 56.14 seconds.
Frank Del Duca (Bethel, Me.) and Adrian Adams (Reidsville, N.C.) had the second fastest time of 55.90 seconds in the first heat, and the fourth-best time of 56.34 seconds in the final heat to finish second with a combined time of 1:52.24. Del Duca and Adams combined forces for the fourth fastest start times of 5.23 and 5.21 seconds.
Hunter Church (Cadyville, N.Y.) and Josh Williamson (Lake Mary, Fla.) were 0.07 seconds from their teammates to finish third with a two-run total of 1:52.31. The duo pushed start times of 5.22 and 5.20 for runs of 56.14 and 56.17 seconds, respectively.
The fastest start time of 5.17 seconds was posted by the team of Sam Moeller (San Antonio, Texas) and Boone Niederhofer (San Antonio, Texas), who finished sixth today.
Racing continues tomorrow with the women’s monobob and four-man bobsled events at 12 p.m. EST. Please contact USABS Marketing & Communications Director Amanda Bird at 518-354-2250, or amanda.bird@usabs.com, with media inquiries.
Results
Two-woman bobsled
1. Elana Meyers Taylor and Lake Kwaza 1:54.96 (57.22, 57.74);
1. Brittany Reinbolt and Aja Evans 1:54.96 (57.49, 57.47);
3. Nicole Vogt and Lauren Gibbs 1:55.16 (57.42, 57.74);
Two-man bobsled
1. Codie Bascue and Carlo Valdes 1:51.84 (55.70, 56.14)
2. Frank Del Duca and Adrian Adams 1:52.24 (55.90, 56.34);
3. Hunter Church and Josh Williamson 1:52.31 (56.14, 56.17);
4. Geoff Gadbois and Kris Horn 1:52.49 (56.16, 56.33);
5. Tyler Hickey and Martin Christofferson 1:52.88 (56.34, 56.54);
6. Sam Moeller and Boone Niederhofer 1:52.89 (56.31, 56.58);
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.
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