ALTENBERG, Germany (January 9, 2022) – Mystique Ro (Nokesville, Va.) finished the European Cup season ranked second overall in the women’s skeleton field after a sixth place result in the finale held in Altenberg today. Kendall Wesenberg (Modesto, Calif.) finished just behind her teammate in seventh. Daniel Barefoot (Johnstown, Pa.) and Hunter Williams (Carnegie, Penn.) were back-to-back in the men’s field with 10th and 11th place finishes, respectively.

Ro never finished outside of the top six in the European Cup series this season, and claimed three medals in seven races. Had she not missed the first race due to an injury, she would have been in the hunt for the overall title. Sarah Wimmer from Germany took the crown with 445 points. Ro was second with 390 points, followed by Russian Polina Tiurina in third with 360 points.

“This has been a great season for Mystique,” said USA Skeleton Technical and Development Lead Coach Caleb Smith. “It came with the challenges of new tracks and new environments. She handled it brilliantly. There have been ups and downs, from winning in Innsbruck, to learning this challenging Altenberg track. Through it all she has done a great job maintaining a growth mindset. This is just the beginning of her success.”

In the tour finale today, Ro had the fastest start times of 5.52 and 5.49 seconds, and the seventh fastest downtimes of 59.94 and 59.98 seconds. She finished sixth with a combined time of 1:59.92.

Wesenberg was just behind her teammate in seventh place with a two-run total of 2:00.15. She posted start times of 6.08 and 6.07 for runs of 59.86 and 1:00.29, respectively. 

Agathe Bessard from France was victorious with a total time of 1:57.70. Russia’sTiurina claimed silver in 1:57.97, and Germany’s Wimmer took bronze in 1:59.48. 

In the men’s field, Americans Barefoot and Williams finished 10th and 11th, respectively. Barefoot had the eighth best start times of 5.23 and 5.24 for downtimes of 57.78 and 57.61 seconds. He finished 10th with a combined time of 1:55.39. Williams had the ninth and 12th ranked start times of 5.25 and 5.27, and he raced to the finish in 58.12 and 57.57 second for a total time of 1:55.69 to finish 11th. 

Stefan Roettig from Germany claimed gold in 1:52.73. Russian Evgeniy Rukosuev was second with an aggregate time of 1:53.22, and Cedric Renner from Germany took bronze in 1:53.52. 

Williams missed the first two races this season and finished the series ranked 17th. Team Germany claimed the top three overall rankings. Reottig was the overall leader with 468 points, followed by Renner in third with 445 points and Ludwig Mannhardt in third with 339 ponts.

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

1. Agathe Bessard (FRA) 1:57.70 (58.95, 58.75);

2. Polina Tiurina (RUS) 1:57.97 (58.99, 58.98);

3. Sarah Wimmer (GER) 1:59.48 (1:00.23, 59.25);

6. Mystique Ro (USA) 1:59.92 (59.94, 59.98);

7. Kendall Wesenberg (USA) 2:00.15 (59.86, 1:00.29);

Men’s skeleton 

1. Stefan Roettig (GER) 1:52.73 (56.38, 56.35);

2. Evgeniy Rukosuev (RUS) 1:53.22 (56.34, 56.88);

3. Cedric Renner (GER) 1:53.52 (56.66, 56.86);

10. Daniel Barefoot (USA) 1:55.39 (57.78, 57.61);

11. Hunter Williams (USA) 1:55.69 (58.12, 57.57);

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.