(Left to right) Josh Williamson, Hunter Church, Mike Kohn, Kris Horn and Charlie Volker after the award ceremony in Winterberg.

WINTERBERG, Germany (January 9, 2022) –Hunter Church (Cadyville, N.Y.) teamed with Josh Williamson (Lake Mary, Fla.), Charlie Volker (Fair Haven, N.J.)  and Kris Horn (Pembroke, Mass.) to claim the bronze medal in today’s four-man bobsled World Cup race in Winterberg. Frank Del Duca (Bethel, Maine) and his crew of Carlo Valdes (Newport Beach, Calif.), Kyle Wilcox (Tampa, Fla.) and Hakeem Abdul Saboor (Powhatan, Va.) finished 11th  in Del Duca’s second career World Cup start as a pilot.

This is Church’s second career World Cup medal. He earned his first medal two years ago in Igls, Austria. Williamson and Horn were members of Church’s medal winning team in 2020. This is the first medal for Volker.

“It was really cool to medal in Igls, but to medal on a German track, which we historically haven’t had success on, is unreal,” Church said. 

Church, Williamson, Volker and Horn posted the third fastest start time of 5.11 seconds in the opening heat, and Church piloted the crew to the finish in 54.76 seconds to place them within striking distance of the medals in fifth. The Americans exploded off the block in the second heat with the fastest start time of 5.08 seconds to give Church momentum going down the track. He maintained that speed, and the team crossed the finish line in 54.78 seconds for the second fastest time of the heat. Church, Williamson, Volker and Horn claimed bronze with a combined time of 1:49.54. 

“The guys did amazing today,” Church said. “I let them down with some mistakes in the first heat, but coach (Mike) Kohn gave me a pep talk and coach (Shauna) Rohbock helped calm my nerves. And I can’t lie, the snow played in our favor a bit, but we’ve practiced and executed snow protocols and were ready for today.”

Church said he started to get the feeling for his sled back in Altenberg, Germany, where he and his crew finished 13th. The team then went on to race in Sigulda, Latvia, which was a new and difficult track for Church.

“I started to recognize that I had that feeling back,” Church said. “I’m also starting to come into my own in regards to my fitness after breaking my toe earlier this season. It feels like we are starting to peak at the right time.”

Germany’s Francesco Friedrich remains dominant, winning again today with Alexander Schueller, Candy Margis and Thorsten Margis. The crew clocked a combined time of 1:49.08 to win by a large margin of 0.42 seconds. Brad Hall, Nick Gleeson, Taylor Lawrence and Greg Cackett from Britain claimed silver in 1:49.50, finishing just 0.04 seconds ahead of the Americans. 

In only his second World Cup race as a pilot, Del Duca and his team of Abdul Saboor, Valdes and Wilcox posted an impressive finish today, nearly breaking into the top 10. The team posted the eighth and seventh fastest start times of 5.17 and 5.13 seconds, respectively. Del Duca drove the squad into 12th position with a first run of 55.21 seconds, and posted the ninth fastest downtime of 55.17 seconds in the second heat. Del Duca, Abdul Saboor, Valdes and Wilcox finished 11th with a two-run total of 1:50.38

There is just one World Cup remaining this season. Teams will make their way to St. Moritz, Switzerland for the eighth and final event of the season.

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

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Results

1. Friedrich, Schueller, Bauer and Margis (GER) 1:49.08 (54.40, 54.68);

2. Hall, Gleeson, Lawrence and Cackett (GBR) 1:49.50 (54.67, 54.83);

3. Church, Williamson, Volker and Horn (USA) 1:49.54 (54.76, 54.78);

11. Del Duca, Abdul Saboor, Valdes and Wilcox (USA) 1:50.38 (55.21, 55.17);

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.