Humphries on a hot streak
Olympic and world champ Canada’s Kaillie Humphries continued what is developing into one of the most impressive victory streaks in winter sport by winning her fifth straight international bobsleigh race Friday in Park City, Utah.
The 27-year-old Humphries’ dominating streak, which has included three different brakemen, extends back to last February in Whistler – the same track she became the first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal in women’s bobsleigh in 2010. Her golden trail continued west into Calgary the following week before she won the 2012 World Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. to cap off a stellar month.
A hard summer of training, Humphries returned to Lake Placid to win yet another gold to kick-off the pre-Olympic season one week ago – only this time with rookie brakeman – 25-year-old Chelsea Valois of Zenon Park, Sask.
“This is just Chelsea’s second World Cup race and she has tons of potential,” said Humphries. “It shows I have had some great athletes pushing me along the way. I just keep trying to learn and find the fastest way down the track,” said Humphries.
It was the sixth career victory for Humphries, bringing the reigning world champion’s medal total to 14 on the World Cup circuit.
“It is real exciting especially as we get closer to Sochi, but I’m fairly new too. I still make mistakes so I keep trying to get as consistent as possible.”
Using black paint in place of hair, the Canadian women join their furry-lipped male comrades by sporting moustaches in recognition of Movember, a fundraising campaign to raise money for prostate cancer.
“I will shave next week. I promise,” laughed. “Movember is not just for the guys. The girls on the Canadian Team figured we can rock the moustache too.”
