We’re a quarter of the way through the IBSF World Cup schedule and racing resumes this week in Altenberg (GER), the second of three straight events in Germany. The winners in the first two legs:
Men’s 2:
1: Francesco Friedrich (GER) in Sigulda (LAT), race 1 (2. Oskars Kibermanis/LAT)
2. Francesco Friedrich (GER) in Sigulda (LAT), race 2 (2. Oskars Kibermanis/LAT)
Men’s 4:
1: Nico Walther (GER) in Winterberg (GER), race 1 (2. Francesco Friedrich/GER)
2. Francesco Friedrich (GER) in Winterberg (GER), race 2 (2. Johannes Lochner/GER)
Women’s 2:
1. Mariama Jamanka (GER) in Sigulda (LAT) (2. Nadezhda Sergeeva/RUS)
2: Stephanie Schneider (GER) in Winterberg (GER) (2. Mariama Jamanka/GER)
Elana Meyers Taylor of the U.S., with Lake Kwaza, was third in Winterberg after being disqualified for a sled weight problem in Sigulda.
Men’s Skeleton:
1: Nikita Tregubov (RUS) in Sigulda (LAT) (2. Martins Dukurs/LAT)
2: Alexander Tretiakov (RUS) in Winterberg (GER) (2. Axel Jungk/GER)
Women’s Skeleton:
1: Elena Nikitina (RUS) in Sigulda (LAT) (2. Elisabeth Maier/CAN)
2: Jacqueline Loelling (GER) in Winterberg (GER) (2. Tina Hermann/GER)
Notice a pattern? Germans have won all six Bob races so far this season, and Russians have won three of four Skeleton races (and, of course, a German won the other).
Among the men, only Friedrich has won a medal in every race – 2 and 4 – this season. Jamanka has medaled in both women’s races. That’s hardly a surprise, as Friedrich piloted both the two-man and four-man bobs to Olympic titles in 2018 and Jamanka did the same in the women’s bob.
Last season in Altenberg, Canada’s Justin Kripps scored a critical win in the men’s 2; Walther won the men’s 4 and Kaillie Humphries won the women’s 2 for Canada. Olympic champ Sung-bin Yun (KOR) won his fourth race of the season in Altenberg and Loelling won in the women’s Skeleton race, for her third win of the season.
Look for results here.
