Defending champion Lonnie Bissonnette wins silver ahead of Sebastian Westin with bronze in St. Moritz
St. Moritz (RWH) Jonas Frei (SUI) is the 2021 Para Bobsleigh World Champion, becoming the first Swiss to win the title at IBSF Para-Sport World Championships. At 23, Jonas Frei is also the youngest Para Bobsleigh World Champion since the competition for bobsleigh athletes with disabilities first appeared on the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) sporting programme in 2016.
In his World Championship debut, the tenth bobsleigh race of his sporting career, Jonas Frei had a 0.68-second lead over defending champion Lonnie Bissonnette of Canada after four race runs at the St. Moritz-Celerina Olympic Bobrun (SUI). Bissonnette, the 2016 and 2019 Para Bobsleigh World Champion, set the best time in the final run, but was unable to challenge Jonas Frei, who had previously led by one second, for the World Championship title. With silver, the Canadian won the fifth medal in the fifth Para Bobsleigh World Championships.
As in 2019, the bronze medal went to Sweden's Sebastian Westin (0.72 seconds behind).
Fourth place went to 2018 overall World Cup winner and 2019 World Championships runner-up Corie Mapp of Great Britain. Nikolai Johann (GER) in fifth place celebrated by far his best result at his third World Championships start. World Championships debutant Hermann Ellmauer from Austria finished sixth.
The best female athlete at the start was Guro Konstanse Frønsdal. The Norwegian, World Championships bronze medallist in 2018, came in sixth in St. Moritz tied with Hermann Ellmauer.
Christopher Stewart (SUI), one of the big favourites ahead of the World Championships as World Cup leader and local hero, went into the final day of the IBSF Para-Sport World Championships 2021 from 15th place after a mikstake before the Horseshoe curve in the very first race run in St. Moritz. In the fourth and last run, the European Champion of 2019 clocked the second best run time and ultimately finished the World Championships in eighth place.
A total of 16 athletes from twelve nations took part in the 2021 IBSF Para-Sport World Championships in St. Moritz, including two female athletes. ©RWH2021
Photos: IBSF / Girts Kehris
