Kim Kalicki wins silver in Altenberg ahead of European Champion Laura Nolte with bronze
Altenberg (RWH) Kaillie Humphries from the USA has won gold in the 2-woman bobsleigh at the 2021 BMW IBSF World Championships in Altenberg (GER). With four titles now - competing for Canada in 2012 and 2013 and for the USA in 2020 and 2021 - Kaillie Humphries is the bobsleigh pilot with the most World Championship titles. With push athlete Lolo Jones, she also won the fourth title for the US team in 2-woman bobsleigh.
The only team that was able to stay within reach of two-time Olympic Champion Humphries until the end in Altenberg was Kim Kalicki (GER) with Ann-Christin Strack. Kalicki, the 2020 Junior World Champion took World Championships silver, 0.35 seconds behind, as she did last year.
The bronze medal was won by the reigning Junior World Champions and European Champions: Laura Nolte/Deborah Levi (GER) finished 1.01 seconds behind the winners in third place.
Stephanie Schneider/Leonie Fiebig (GER) had the biggest catch-up in the competition in Altenberg. After eighth place in the first run, fifth in the second and fourth after the third run, they brought themselves within striking distance before the final run, 0.15 seconds behind bronze. In the end, the 2019 overall World Cup winner was just two-tenths of a second short of a World Cup medal.
Elana Meyers Taylor, who won the first two World Cup titles for the USA in 2015 and 2017, finished fifth with Sylvia Hoffman in Altenberg. A year earlier, the US pilot gave birth to her son Nico and just returned to international bobsleigh racing in January 2021 after a season off.
Olympic Champion Mariama Jamanka, the 2019 World Champion, finished the 2-woman bobsleigh season in sixth place with Vanessa Mark, ahead of overall World Cup winner Katrin Beierl of Austria with Jennifer Onasanya.
For more detailed information including athlete profiles and results please visit ibsf.org. Photos for editorial use can be found at Flickr. ©RWH2021
Photos: IBSF / Viesturs Lacis
