Humphries and Lotholz add world championship silver to stellar season
Kaillie Humphries and Melissa Lotholz struck silver in women’s bobsleigh at the IBSF World Championships in Igls, Austria on Saturday.
The Canadians pulled up from third to second during their second of four runs, although the German duo of Anja Schneiderheinze and Annika Drazek remained the class of the field throughout the women’s competition taking gold. Defending world champion Elana Meyers Taylortook the bronze medal for the United States with brakeman Lauren Gibbs.
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Kaillie Humphries, right, and Melissa Lotholz pose during the flower ceremony after winning the women’s bobsleigh World Cup race January 15, 2016, in Park City, Utah.
Schneiderheinze set the pace early with a track record-setting 52.94 seconds drive on her first go. She continued to clock the fastest time in the women’s field in each of the next two outings to give herself a comfortable final ride for a four-run total time three minutes, 32.38 seconds.
Humphries and Lotholz were 0.33 seconds behind the winner and 0.16s ahead of third place.
The Canadian duo has been on the podium at every major women’s two-man race this season, their world championship medal adding to seven podiums in the World Cup circuit to lead the overall standings with one race to go.
Kaillie Humphries her pusher Melissa Lotholz compete during the women’s two-man bobsled competition at the Bob World Cup in Altenberg, Germany, Nov. 27, 2015.
It’s the eighth world championships medal for Humphries, fourth in women’s bobsleigh. Her other four medals at this stage came in the mixed team event, which is not on the Olympic program.
For brakeman Lotholz, the world championship medal is a career first.
More to come.
