The Sports Examiner

BOBSLED & SKELETON Preview: Final European World Cup of 2019 is in St. Moritz

American Olympic women's bobsled ace Elana Meyers Taylor (Photo: Dietmar Reker via Wikipedia)

The IBSF World Cup is coming to a close quickly, with the sixth of eight stops this weekend in St. Moritz (SUI). It’s fairly clear that the seasonal Bobsled winners will be German, but who is not yet decided; the Skeleton seasonal races are much closer.

Men’s 2:
Germany’s Francesco Friedrich hasn’t lost all season, but he could still lose the season title. The standings:

1. 1,125 Francesco Friedrich (GER) ~ Five races, five wins
2. 1,004 Oskars Kibermanis (LAT) ~ Five races, four medals and a fifth; still in it!
3.    792 Maxim Andrianov (RUS)

Men’s 4:
1. 1,085 Francesco Friedrich (GER) ~ Five races: three wins, one silver, one bronze
2. 1,027 Johannes Lochner (GER) ~ Five races: one win, one silver, two bronzes
3. 1,014 Nico Walther (GER) ~ Five races, one win, two bronzes, two 7ths

Women’s 2:
1. 1,095 Mariama Jamanka (GER) ~ Five races, three wins, two silvers
2.    986 Stephanie Schneider (GER) ~ Five races, two wins and a bronze
3.    936 Anna Kohler (GER) ~ Five races, one bronze, two 4ths

U.S. driver Elana Meyers Taylor was disqualified for having a light sled in the first race of the season, and despite finishing 3-3-2-3 in the next four, sits sixth with 810 points.

German sleds in St. Moritz will be protecting their 15-for-15 record in the World Cup so far; is this the week for a win by Kibemanis or Meyers Taylor? The World Cup will come to North America after this, with racing in Lake Placid and Calgary.

Walther and Friedrich were 1-2 at St. Moritz last season – the last time Friedrich lost; Lochner beat Friedrich in the Four-Man there as well. Meyers Taylor (with Lolo Jones) won in St Moritz in 2018, ahead of Jamanka and Schneider.

In Skeleton, the seasonal competition has been much closer:

Men’s Skeleton:
1. 834 Alexander Tretiakov (RUS) ~ Four races: two wins, two 4ths
2. 820 Sung-bun Yun (KOR) ~ Four races: two silvers, two bronzes
3. 771 Martins Dukurs (LAT) ~ Four races: one win, one silver, two 7ths

Women’s Skeleton:
1. 852 Elena Nikitina (RUS) ~ Four races: 1-4-1-2
2. 819 Jacqueline Loelling (GER) ~ Four races: 5-1-2-3
3. 794 Tina Hermann (GER) ~ four races: 3-2-4-4

Yun, the Olympic champ from 2018, has been coming on, with silvers in his last two races. A burst from him at the end will give him a second straight seasonal title. Loelling is the defending women’s champion.

Yun won last year in St. Moritz, ahead of Axel Jungk (GER); Austria’s Janine Flock – who won last week – won in St. Moritz last season, with Hermann second. Look for results from St. Moritz here.

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