Humphries’ Hot Streak Continues
Canada’s bobsleigh athletes extended their medal-winning trail into Germany by winning the gold and bronze medals Saturday.
Calgary’s Kaillie Humphries added to her torrid streak to earn seven straight victories after winning the women’s race, while Lyndon Rush, of Humboldt, Sask., piloted the Canada 1 two-man sled to the World Cup podium for the second-straight week with a bronze in Winterberg, Germany.
After winning the last six races in North America, including the first three this year with rookie brakeman, Chelsea Valois of Zenon Park, Sask., the 27-year-old Humprhies continued one of the most impressive victory streaks in amateur sport by claiming her fourth-straight gold of the pre-Olympic season, which also includes the World Championship title last February. Humphries and Valois clocked a golden time of 1:54.05.
“I am very happy to keep the streak going in Germany,” said Humphries. “I think that was very important for me. I haven’t always had a lot of success in Winterberg because it is so weather dependent here. The weather was perfect and we had good pushes and good runs today.”
It was Humphries’ eighth career World Cup victory to go along with her Olympic and World Championship titles, bringing her career World Cup medal total to 15.
“I had a lot of confidence going into the race, but the weathercan change everything,” added Humphries. “Chelsea and I had two of our best starts to go along with two good runs down the track so I’m happy with how things turned out.”
Valois’ start in the sport of bobsleigh is equally impressive. Since being nudged by her track and field teammates at the University of Regina to try bobsleigh this fall, the 25-year-old remains unbeaten, having pushed Humphries to a national title and four straight World Cup victories in her five competitive starts.
Rush rolls on
Canada’s Lyndon Rush is putting together a little medal-winning steak of his own as the Canadian trail to the podium continued in the men’s two-man bobsleigh race. The 32-year-old Rush, who won the silver two weeks ago in Whistler, B.C. with Lascelles Brown, teamed up with 30-year-old Jesse Lumsden, of Burlington, ON., to win the bronze after posting a combined time of 1:51.41. It was the fourth World Cup medal for the Canadian duo, since teaming up last year.
“We normally find the Winterberg track really difficult, but our runs worked out really well today,” said Rush. “I’d like to say a big thank you to my whole team.”
It was the fourth two-man, and eighth overall World Cup medal of Rush’s career to go along with his Olympic bronze and World Championship silver medal that he won with Lumsden last year in Lake Placid, N.Y.
The World Cup continues on Sunday with the men’s four-man races.
