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Winterberg (RWH) The BMW IBSF World Cup Bob + Skeleton 2015/2016 goes into the second round in the town that hosted the 2015 World Championships,Winterberg. Currently heading the overall World Cup rankings are Laura Deas (GBR, women’s skeleton), Martins Dukurs (LAT, men’s skeleton), Kaillie Humphries (CAN, women’s bobsleigh) and Francesco Friedrich (GER, two-man and four-man bobsleigh).
The women’s skeleton opening the weekend could well offer some excitement:athletes from seven different countries were placed in the top ten at the opening event in Altenberg, with Britain’s Laura Deas winning her first World Cup victory, World Championship runner-up and World Cup debutante Jacqueline Lölling of Germany making her first podium appearance, Lelde Priedulena of Latvia and Yulia Kanakina of Russia notching up their best ever results, and Kim Meylemans, Belgium’s first ever female skeleton slider to compete in a World Cup, taking ninth. The fight for points this coming weekend promises to be interesting. In the men’s skeleton, Axel Jungk of Germany and Nikita Tregybov of Russia are the two candidates most likely to intervene in the long-running duel between World Champion and World Cup titleholder Martins Dukurs of Latvia and Olympic Champion Alexander Tretyakov of Russia.
Athletes from seven different nations were also placed in the top ten in the two-man bobsleigh at Altenberg. Pilot Yunjong Won of Korea caused quite a stirby coming third behind World Champion Friedrich and World Cup titleholder Oskars Melbardis of Latvia, giving the host of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games its first podium placing.
There are several favourites for the second race of the World Cup season in the women’s bobsleigh.Olympic Champion Kaillie Humphries of Canada celebrated the opening race in Altenberg with her first World Cup victory in almost two years, and last February, World Cup titleholder Elana Meyers Taylor collected the USA’s first ever World Championship gold in the women’s bobsleigh in Winterberg. At the same time, World Championship runner-up Anja Schneiderheinze brings experience of the track and a home advantage to the event this weekend. It will also be interesting to see whether Elfje Willemsen of Belgium and Christina Hengster of Austria are able to follow up on their podium placings in Altenberg.Willemsen, who came second in Altenberg, said after the opening on the extremely challenging ice track that she was looking forward to the Winterberg World Cup.
The Winterberg World Cup weekend will close with the four-man bobsleigh:The German teams headed by pilots Friedrich, Walther and Arndt are certain to be chasing podium places again in Winterberg after their success in Altenberg, but Oskars Melbardis will also hope to have a look-in.The Latvian, who came first in the overall rankings last season and took silver at the 2015 World Championships, came eighth in Altenberg.
Built in 1977, the Winterberg Hochsauerland ice track is Germany's second youngest artificial track and an important player in the World Cup.The racing series was launched about 30 years ago with the men’s skeleton and bobsleigh, and around 20 years ago the women’s skeleton and then women’s bobsleigh were added to the equation.The joint racing series for all IBSF disciplines was introduced in 2006. The IBSF athletes have raced for points and places 38 times on the track in Winterberg since the World Cup was introduced. In February and March 2015, the 1330-metre ice track hosted its fourth bobsleigh and skeleton World Championship. 300 athletes from 28 nations competed in the event in Germany’s Hochsauerland region. At BMW IBSF World Cup in Winterberg this weekend, athletes from 21 nations are registered. ©RWH2015-2016
Keep up to date with bobsleigh and skeleton news on Facebook, Twitter and co.
Altenberg (RWH) As in the past, the latest news, detailed start lists, race results and a wealth of information about the BMW IBSF Bob + Skeleton World Cup will be available this season via a variety of social media channels.The International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation IBSF has its own site on Facebook, and all news is posted straight to the profile pages of the over 2,000 members of the IBSF Facebook group and also sent to Twitter followers (@IBSFsliding), of which there are over 2,500.
A live ticker for all World Cup races, as well as results lists showing all race times and overall times and the latest World Cup standings can also be found at ibsf.org.Many countries throughout the world are showing TV coverage of the BMW IBSF World Cup races,and in addition, ibsf.organd the IBSF YouTube channelhttp://www.youtube.com/user/bobskeletvare showing all races live with commentary by Martin Haven and John Morgan. The live stream will be available in almost every country in the world.©RWH2015-2016
On the sidelines
Kim Meylemans (BEL) is Belgium’s first female athlete to pilot a skeleton in the World Cup.The 19-year-old was born a German with Belgian parents.She started out in the European Cup for Germany in 2011, and came overall third in 2014.She was placed fifth at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012.After the 2013/2014 season, Meylemans moved to the Belgian association and competed in the European and Intercontinental Cups.She came 19th at the BMW IBSF World Championships in Winterberg in 2015. She celebrated her ninth place in her World Cup debut appearance at the opening of the BMW IBSF World Cup 2015/2016 in Altenberg (GER) much like a victory. Her coach since the summer of 2015 is Austria’s Martin Rettl, 2001 World Champion and 2002 Olympic silver medallist in the men’s skeleton.Belgium has a long and successful tradition in the bobsleigh: Charles Mulder collected bronze at the first Winter Olympics in 1924 in the larger sleigh, which at the time was also allowed to be manned by five athletes. In 1939, Baron René Lunden was World Champion in the two-man event, while Max Houben took silver in the four-seater in the 1948 World Championships and bronze in the two-man bobsleigh in the 1947 World Championships.For the women, pilot Elfje Willemsen was sixth at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi and in 2015 she came fourth in both the European Championships and the overall World Cup rankings.©RWH2015-2016
Steve Langton (USA) announced his retirement as an active athlete shortly before the start of the BMW IBSF World Cup in Altenberg.The 32-year-old brakeman won gold at the 2012 World Championships in both the two-man and the four-man bobsleigh with Steven Holcomb at the helm.The duo went on to take gold in the two-man and bronze in the four-man at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.Despite his height of 1.88m and weight of 105kg, Langton is considered one of the most explosive of all the bobsleigh athletes:a video from 2011 shows him doing a 62-inch standing box jump.©RWH2015-2016
Thomas Florschütz (GER) has ended his career as a bobsleigh pilot.The German Bobsleigh, Luge and Skeleton Federation (BSD) said an official farewell to the 37-year-old before the two-man victory ceremony at the BMW IBSF World Cup in Altenberg.Florschütz won silver with Richard Adjei in the two-man bobsleigh at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.In 2008, 2009 and 2011 he also took silver in the two-man event at the World Championships, and in 2009 he collected World Championship gold with the German team.Having left the ice track behind him, Florschütz will be continuing his professional career as a policeman in Thuringia.©RWH2015-2016
Winterberg timetable
| Date/time CET |
Race |
|
| Friday, 4 December |
12.00 pm 1.30 pm |
Women’s skeleton, Run 1 Women’s skeleton, Run 2 |
| Friday, 4 December |
3.00 pm 4.30 pm |
Men’s skeleton, Run 1 Men’s skeleton, Run 2 |
| Saturday, 5 December |
9.30 am 11.00 am |
Two-man bobsleigh, Run 1 Two-man bobsleigh, Run 2 |
| Saturday, 5 December |
12.45 pm 2.15 pm |
Women’s bobsleigh, Run 1 Women’s bobsleigh, Run 2 |
| Sunday, 6 December |
11.00 am 12.30 pm |
Four-man bobsleigh, Run 1 Four-man bobsleigh, Run 2 |
The last World Cup winners in Winterberg – January 2014
| 1. |
2. |
3. |
||||
| Women’s skeleton |
Elizabeth YARNOLD |
GBR |
Noelle PIKUS-PACE |
USA |
Sarah REID |
CAN |
| Men’s skeleton |
Martins DUKURS |
LAT |
Tomass DUKURS |
LAT |
Alexander TRETYAKOV |
RUS |
| Women’s bobsleigh |
Sandra KIRIASIS Franziska FRITZ |
GER |
Elana MEYERS Lolo JONES |
USA |
Anja SCHNEIDERHEINZE Stephanie SCHNEIDER |
GER |
| Two-man bobsleigh |
Beat HEFTI Alex BAUMANN |
SUI |
Alexander ZUBKOV Alexei VOEVODA |
RUS |
Cory BUTNER Charles BERKELEY |
USA |
| Four-man bobsleigh |
Maximilian ARNDT Marko HÜBENBECKER Alexander RÖDIGER Martin PUTZE |
GER |
Francesco FRIEDRICH Jannis BÄCKER Gregor BERMBACH Thorsten MARGIS |
GER |
Alexander ZUBKOV Alexey NEGODAYLO Dmitry TRUNENKOV Aleksei PUSHKAREV |
RUS |
| Four-man bobsleigh, 2nd race |
Maximilian ARNDT Marko HÜBENBECKER Alexander RÖDIGER Martin PUTZE |
GER |
Francesco FRIEDRICH Jannis BÄCKER Gregor BERMBACH Thorsten MARGIS |
GER |
Thomas FLORSCHÜTZ Joshua BLUHM Kevin KUSKE Christian POSER |
GER |
The 2015 World Championship medallists in Winterberg
| Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
||||
| Women’s skeleton |
Elizabeth YARNOLD |
GBR |
Jacqueline LÖLLING |
GER |
Elisabeth VATHJE |
CAN |
| Men’s skeleton |
Martins DUKURS |
LAT |
Alexander TRETYAKOV |
RUS |
Tomass DUKURS |
LAT |
| Women’s bobsleigh |
Elana MEYERS TAYLOR |
USA |
Anja SCHNEIDERHEINZE |
GER |
Cathleen MARTINI |
GER |
| Two-man bobsleigh |
Francesco FRIEDRICH |
GER |
Oskars MELBARDIS Johannes LOCHNER |
LAT GER |
- |
- |
| Four-man bobsleigh |
Maximilian ARNDT |
GER |
Nico WALTHER |
GER |
Oskars MELBARDIS |
LAT |
Season champions in BMW IBSF World Cup Bob + Skeleton 2015/2016
