Hunter Church and Kris Horn on track during the second heat.

SIGULDA, Latvia (January 1, 2022) – Hunter Church (Cadyville, N.Y.) posted his best two-man bobsled World Cup finish of the season with Kris Horn (Pembroke, Mass.) in Sigulda today after finishing 16th. Codie Bascue (Whitehall, N.Y.) and Carlo Valdes (Newport Beach, Calif.) finished 19th.

Church and Horn pushed consistent start times of 4.95 and 4.97 seconds, 16th best of the field. Church navigated the duo into contention for the top-10 with the 12th best downtime of 49.93 seconds in the first heat, but the Americans fell back four spots with the 20th ranked run of 50.10 seconds in the final heat. Church and Horn clocked a combined time of 1:40.03 for 16th place.

This is Church’s first time racing in Sigulda, and today were his seventh and eighth runs ever on the track. After he finished his second run, Church looked at the camera and said, “Come back tomorrow.”

The Sigulda event features two two-man bobsled races, so Church will get another chance at cracking into the top-10 tomorrow.

Bascue and Valdes matched their teammates with the 16th best start time of 4.95 seconds in the first heat, and the 19th ranked start of 5.01 seconds in heat two. Bascue piloted the team to the finish in 50.19 and 50.03 seconds, and the American team finished 19th with a combined time of 1:40.22.

Russians Rostislav Gaitiukevich and Mikhail Mordasov claimed their first career World Cup gold medal with a two-run total of 1:39.23. Brad Hall and Greg Cackett from Britain were in the lead after the first heat, but fell back 0.10 seconds into second place with an aggregate time of 1:39.33. Austrians Benjamin Maier and Markus Sammer claimed bronze in 1:39.40.

Racing continues in Sigulda tomorrow with the two-woman bobsled race at 9 a.m. local time, followed by a second two-man bobsled competition 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. Rostislav Gaitiukevich and Mikhail Mordasov (RUS) 1:39.23 (49.65, 49.58);

2. Brad Hall and Greg Cackett (GBR) 1:39.33 (49.64, 49.69);

3. Benjamin Maier and Markus Sammer (AUT) 1:39.40 (49.70, 49.70);

16. Hunter Church and Kris Horn (USA) 1:40.03 (49.93, 50.10);

19. Codie Bascue and Carlo Valdes (USA) 1:40.22 (50.19, 50.03);

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.

Church kicks off New Year with personal best two-man bobsled World Cup finish of the season

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