Photo credit: IBSF/Viesturs Lacis

IGLS, Austria (November 19, 2021) – Austin Florian (Southington, Conn.) and three-time Olympian John Daly (Smithtown, N.Y.) finished 23rd and 24th, respectively, in the men’s skeleton World Cup race in Igls this morning.

“We didn’t execute today, and we’re already regrouping so we’re prepared for next week’s race,” said USA Skeleton Head Coach Tuffy Latour. “The pressure can get to you in an Olympic season, and I think we saw some of that today.”

Florian was the first of the Americans to take a run. He posted a respectable start time of 4.96 seconds for a run of 53.45 seconds, putting him in 23rd place. Daly pushed off the block in 5.06 seconds, putting him 0.22 seconds behind the pace set at the start by Jisoo Kim of Korea. Daly crossed the finish line in 53.60 seconds to put him just behind his teammate in 24th. Both Florian and Daly missed the top-20 cutoff for the second heat.

Alexander Tretiakov from Russia threaded together a flawless second run to take over the lead with a combined time of 1:45.07. Latvian Martins Dukurs, who led after the first heat, fell 0.07 seconds behind to take silver with a two-run total of 1:45.14. Germany’s Christopher Grotheer finished in third with a total time of 1:45.23.

The Igls World Cup continues with the women’s skeleton competition at 2:30 p.m. local time. Fans can stream the races via desktop at http://olympics.com/en/live/, and via mobile, tablet and connected television platforms on the Olympic Channel app. Please check your local listings for coverage 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. Alexander Tretiakov (RUS) 1:45.07 (52.74, 52.33);

2. Martins Dukurs (LAT) 1:45.14 (52.64, 52.50);

3. Christopher Grotheer (GER) 1:45.23 (52.73, 52.50);

23. Austin Florian (USA) (53.45, DNS);

24. John Daly (USA) (53.60, 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.

Tough start for American men’s skeleton athletes in World Cup season opener

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