Kalicki wins silver and extends her World Cup lead, Jamanka and Beierl tie for bronze
Winterberg (RWH) Golden European Championship debut for Laura Nolte: The bobsleigh pilot from Germany celebrated her third victory of the season at the BMW IBSF World Cup in Winterberg (GER). As the 2-woman bobsleigh race was also counted as European Championship, the 2016 Olympic Youth Champion took the gold medal in her first start in a continental championship.
Laura Nolte and her push athlete Deborah Levi were a full 0.42 seconds ahead of second place. This went to World Cup leader Kim Kalicki with Ann-Christin Strack (GER). Silver in her first European Championship race was also the first medal for Junior World Champion Kalicki.
World Cup rank three and European Championship bronze were awarded twice in Winterberg: Olympic Champion Mariama Jamanka (GER) and Leonie Fiebig as well as Austria's Katrin Beierl/Jennifer Onasanya (both 0.79 seconds back) had exactly the same overall time after two races.
For the first time this winter, athletes from the USA and Canada were present at the BMW IBSF World Cup in Winterberg. Christine de Bruin/Sara Villani (CAN) finished fifth. World champion Kaillie Humphries from the USA came in sixth with Sylvia Hoffman at her season debut. Team mate Elana Meyers Taylor finished her first race after the birth of son Nico in February 2020 with push athlete Lolo Jones in seventh place.
There were 18 2-woman bobsleigh teams from eleven nations competing in Winterberg in the first BMW IBSF World Cup in 2021.
In the overall ranking of the BMW IBSF World Cup Kim Kalicki (GER, 1030 points) slightly extended her lead after the fifth of eight World Cups. Katrin Beierl (AUT, 978) follows in second place. European Champion Laura Nolte (GER, 885) is third overall.
For more detailed information including athlete profiles and World Cup results please visit ibsf.org. Photos for editorial use can be found at Flickr. ©RWH2021
Photos: IBSF / Viesturs Lacis
