Photo credit:  IBSF / Viesturs Lacis

ST MORITZ, Switzerland (January 16, 2022) – Kaillie Humphries (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Sylvia Hoffman (Arlington, Texas) finished fourth in the two-woman bobsled World Cup finale in St. Moritz this morning, finishing just 0.02 seconds from the medals. Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) and Kaysha Love (Herriman, Utah) were fifth. It was enough for Meyers Taylor to take the overall two-woman bobsled World Cup title by 19 points, just one day after Meyers Taylor won the women’s monobob crown.

“It’s been a mixed bag of results this season, so I’m really happy that I’ve been able to walk away with the title,” Meyers Taylor said. 

Humphries and Hoffman tied Germans Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi for the fastest start time of 5.51 seconds in the opening heat, and then Humphries pulled away to take the lead with a run of 1:08.01. Three German teams were on the Americans’ heels. Mariama Jamanka and Kira Lipperheide were in second position, and just 0.01 seconds from Humphries and Hoffman. Kim Kalicki and Lisa Bickwitz were tied with Nolte and Levi for third. The medals would be decided down to the hundredth of a second in the final heat.

Humhpries and Hoffman clocked the second fastest start time of 5.49 seconds in the second heat for the fourth ranked run of 1:07.58. It bumped the Americans back into fourth place with a combined time of 2:15.59.

“It’s frustrating,” Humphries said. “We didn’t have the speed today at the bottom. We’ll go over the sled again, continue to chase with runners, and I was happy with our pushes overall. There’s a lot left to work on it, but it’s just frustrating to know we pushed well and I had good drives, and it didn’t result in a medal. At the end of the day, it is what it is. We’ll keep looking forward.”

Kalicki and Buckwitz took over the lead to win with a combined time of 2:15.50, and Jamanka and Lipperheide claimed silver in 2:15.54. Nolte and Levi completed a German sweep of the medals with a total time of 2:15.57.

Meyers Taylor and Love were one-hundredth of a second off the pace at the start set by their teammates with a push time of 5.52 seconds in the first heat. Meyers Taylor piloted a solid run of 1:08.39 to place them in seventh, and within striking distance of the medals. 

Meyers Taylor and Love responded in the second heat with a record-breaking start time of 5.42 seconds. Meyers Taylor threaded together a nearly flawless run, and the Americans finished 0.64 seconds faster than their first run with a downtime of 1:07.75. Meyers Taylor and Love moved up to fifth place with a two-run total of 2:16.14. 

“My runs weren’t very consistent today, I could have driven better,” Meyers Taylor said. “It’s been a long season, and I’m still happy with how I performed. I’ve been going strong for all eight races, and I’m looking forward to getting some rest and recovery before heading to Beijing.”

Meyers Taylor maintained her lead in World Cup standings to secure the overall title, but what really matters to Meyers Taylor is that she was able to take both titles this season with her husband, Nic Taylor, and their son, Nico, on tour with her.

“It’s taken the whole team to make this happen with my family,” Meyers Taylor said. “Tiffeny Parker hung up her spikes to come along to support us and take care of Nico, and I can’t say enough about her and the entire team. Even internationally, the support has been incredible. I hope it opens the door for women moving forward, and that all women can make the best family decisions for themselves without having to give up their dreams as athletes.”

The four-man bobsled competition is up next at 1 p.m. local time. 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. Kim Kalicki and Lisa Bickwitz (GER) 2:15.50 (1:08.10, 1:07.40);

2. Mariama Jamanka and Kira Lipperheide 2:15.54 (1:08.02, 1:07.52);

3. Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi 2:15.57 (1:08.10, 1:07.47);

4. Kaillie Humphries and Sylvia Hoffman (USA) 2:15.59 (1:08.01, 1:07.58);

5. Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaysha Love (USA) 2:16.14 (1:08.39, 1:07.75);

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.