Justin Kripps breaks year-long men’s bobsleigh medal drought
Two-time Olympian Justin Kripps added a second World Cup medal to his pilot resume winning bronze today in Germany with brakeman Bryan Barnett.
The pair have registered both 2-man bobsleigh podium finishes on the Königssee track, including a gold last year, weeks before the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Coming into this year’s Königssee, 2014’s version was the most recent time Canada had a men’s World Cup podium (gold in 2-man and bronze in 4-man).
WATCH: Kripps and Barnett race to bronze in Königssee
“I had good start times and good runs so everything came together,” said Kripps in a Bobsleigh Canada release. “I love Königssee. I like the flow of the track. There is a great atmosphere here with lots of fans. The music is playing and the track just fits my driving style.”
Kripps and Barnett had a two-run total of one-minute, 42.19 seconds. Beat Hefti and Alex Baumann of Switzerland won in one-minute, 41.16 seconds. Germany’s Nico Walther and Marko Huebenbecker beat the Canadians for silver with one-minute, 41.68 seconds.
How they got here:
Summerland, BC’s Kripps was seventh in the 2-man race with Lascelles Brown at the season opening stop in Lake Placid, USA. Kripps then drove two 9th-place finishes in both Calgary’s World Cup before Christmas (with Barnett) and Altenberg, Germany one week ago with Ben Coakwell.
“It has been a year since men’s bobsleigh in Canada has been on the podium so this is great for our team,” noted Kripps who has also been piloting the top performing 4-man sled. He’ll get another shot at that event on Sunday.
Calgary’s Chris Spring along with London, ON’s Alexander Kopacz were 12th.
Cover photo: Justin Kripps and Bryan Barnett after their last Königssee medal, a victory in January 2014
