Savannah Graybill during a run in Altenberg at the 2020 World Championships

Photo credit: Getty Images

ALTENBERG, Germany (January 6, 2022) –Savannah Graybill (Denver, Pa.) led USA Skeleton in the Intercontinental Cup finale in Altenberg this week with sixth and eighth places in the women’s races.

“I am happy with how racing went this week, despite the number on the timesheet,” Graybill said. “I felt like my training was strong all week and I was at my most confident in my sliding.”

Graybill tied Russia’s Alena Frolova for sixth place in yesterday’s competition. The American posted start times of 5.83 and 5.82 seconds, 12th and 10th of the field, for downtimes of 59.08 and 58.95 seconds, respectively. Graybill clocked a combined time of 1:58.03 to tie for sixth place.

Mystique Ro (Nokesville, Va.) made her debut on the Intercontinental Cup circuit this week, and also competed for the first time on the challenging German track. She put together an impressive 12th place finish with a two-run total of 1:59.15, and Ro had the fastest start times of 5.47 and 5.45 seconds of the field.

Germany’s Susanne Kreher and Sophia Griebel took gold and silver with total times of 1:56.29 and 1:56.87, respectively. Canadian Hallie Clarke claimed bronze in 1:57.36.

Graybill finished eighth today with a two-run total of 1:58.67. She was in sixth place after the first heat, but dropped back two spots in the final run. Ro repeated her 12th place finish with a combined time of 1:59.15. She was once again the fastest competitor off the start block with push times of 5.47 and 5.45 seconds.

Kreher and Griebel doubled their gold and silver medals today. Kreher posted a 1:56.31 for her second victory, while Greibel raced to the finish in 1:57.08 for silver. China’s Huiyang Lin claimed bronze with an aggregate time of 1:57.45.

Graybill narrowly missed the top-three overall, finishing fourth with 702 points. Kreher won the overall title. Clarke finished the season ranked second, and Greibel was 40 points ahead of Grabill to finish third. Kendall Wesenberg (Modesto, Calif.) missed the final race due to Covid, and she finished out the season ranked eighth. Sara Roderick (Truro, Mass.) also missed the finale, opting to train at home, and is ranked 10th overall.

Hunter Williams (Carnegie, Penn.) led the U.S. in the men’s field. He finished 17th yesterday and 22nd today. Stephen Garbett (Parker, Colo.) was 22nd and 24th, while Daniel Barefoot (Johnstown, Pa.) finished 23rd on both days.

Russian Evgeniy Rukosuev won yesterday with a combined time of 1:55.37, followed by Germany’s Felix Keisinger in second with a 1:55.42 and Matt Weston from Britain in third with a total time of 1:55.72.

Felix Seibel from Germany was victorious today with a two-run total of 1:52.76. Rukosuev took silver in 1:52.92, and Keisinger claimed bronze in 1:53.04.

Andrew Blaser (Meridian, Idaho), who was called up to the World Cup, was the top American male in overall Intercontinental Cup points. Despite missing two races, he finished seventh overall. Barefoot finished 13th, and Garbett is ranked 15th. Rukosuev took the overall title. Seibel and Keiseinger finished the season ranked second and third, respectively.

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

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Results

Women’s skeleton race #1

1. Susanne Kreher (GER) 1:56.29 (58.12, 58.17);

2. Sophia Griebel (GER) 1:56.87 (58.20, 58.67);

3. Hallie Clarke (CAN) 1:57.36 (58.28, 59.08);

T-6. Savannah Graybill (USA) 1:58.03 (59.08, 58.95);

12. Mystique Ro (USA) 1:58.98 (59.14, 59.84);

Women’s skeleton race #2

1. Susanne Kreher (GER) 1:56.31 (58.12, 58.19);

2. Sophia Greibel (GER) 1:57.08 (58.42, 58.66);

3. Huiyang Lin (CHN) 1:57.45 (58.49, 58.96);

8. Savannah Graybill (USA) 1:58.67 (59.11, 59.56);

12. Mystique Ro (USA) 1:59.15 (59.39, 59.76);

Men’s skeleton race #1

1. Evgeniy Rukosuev (RUS) 1:55.37 (58.54, 56.83);

2. Felix Keisinger (GER) 1:55.42 (58.95, 56.47);

3. Matt Weston (GBR) 1:55.72 (58.94, 56.78);

22. Hunter Williams (USA) (1:00.88, DNS);

23. Daniel Barefoot (USA) (1:01.04, DNS):

24. Stephen Garbett (USA) (1:01.21, DNS);

Men’s skeleton race #2

1. Felix Seibel (GER) 1:52.76 (56.45, 56.31);

2. Evgeniy Rukosuev (RUS) 1:52.92 (56.45, 56.47);

3. Felix Keisinger (GER) 1:53.04 (56.49, 56.55);

17. Hunter Williams (USA) 1:56.28 (58.15, 58.13);

22. Stephen Garbett (USA) (58.46, DNS);

23. Daniel Barefoot (USA) (58.61, 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.

Graybill leads U.S. in Intercontinental Cup finale

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