Lake Placid (RWH) The national federation USA Bobsled & Skeleton (USABS) has named the teams in both sports fort he upcoming Olympic winter 2021/2022 with the Beijing 2022 Winter Games as highlight.
Two-time Olympic Champion and record World Champion Kaillie Humphries earned a bye onto the women’s bobsleigh team as a pilot by winning the 2-woman and monobob World Championship titles last season and was officially named to the team today. Elana Meyers Taylor, also a three-time Olympic medalist, dominated selection races to earn her spot. Brittany Reinbolt will race as the third qualified U.S. pilot.
The push athetes teams includes Olympic medallists Aja Evans and Lauren Gibbs as well as the experienced Sylvia Hoffman, Lolo Jones, Lake Kwaza and debutant Kaysha Love.
The US men earned two quota spots on the 2021/2022 BMW IBSF World Cup tour. Hunter Church (will be at the helm of USA-1, and Olympian Codie Bascue (Whitehall, N.Y.) will pilot USA-2.
The eight men selected as push athletes are: Hakeem Abdul-Saboor, Kris Horn, Blaine McConnell, Jimmy Reed, Nic Taylor, Carlo Valdes, Charlie Volker and Josh Williamson.
The women’s skeleton team earned three quota spots on the World Cup tour. Four-time Olympian Katie Uhlaender enters the season as the top ranked American, followed by Megan Henry and Kelly Curtis.
The men earned two World Cup quota spots. Austin Florian will lead the men as the top ranked American, and he will be joined by three-time Olympian John Daly.
On the IBSF Intercontinental Cup tour Kendall Wesenberg, Savannah Graybill and Sara Roderick will race for the women, while Andrew Blaser, Dan Barefoot and Stephen Garbett will compete for USA Skeleton in the men’s field.
The season kicks off with an International Training Period and a test event on the 2022 Olympic track in Beijing, China in October. ©RWH2021
>> USABS press release Bobsleigh team
>> USABS press release Skeleton team
Photos: IBSF / Viesturs Lacis
