Yanqing/Beijing (RWH) The 2-woman and 2-man Bobsleigh Olympic Champions from PyeongChang 2018, Mariama Jamanka and Francesco Friedrich (both GER) have won the first official bobsleigh races on the track for the upcoming Winter Games in Beijing 2022.
At the Olympic test event, conclusion of three training weeks at the Yanqing National Sliding Center, Mariama Jamanka won in the Women's Monobob narrowly ahead of Switzerland's Melanie Hasler (+0.08 seconds). Jamanka's two consistent runs and the second and third best run times were enough for this. Third place went to Canada's Cynthia Appiah (0.35 seconds back), who set the best start time with 5.59 seconds and was also ahead in the first race run. Monobob World Champion Kaillie Humphries finished fifth behind Christine de Bruin (CAN) and ahead of Junior World Champion Laura Nolte. After a failed first run, World Championship bronze medallist Nolte set the best time of the day in the second run.
In 2-man Bobsleigh, World Champion and Olympic Champion Francesco Friedrich with Alexander Rödiger (GER) won also close ahead of the British duo Brad Hall/Greg Cackett (0,07 seconds back). Rostislav Gaitiukevich/Mikhail Mordasov (RUS, 0.09 seconds back) set the best start time with 4.92 and finished third.
The races at the Yanqing Sliding Center mark the end of the three-week International Training on the Olympic track and are official IBSF races. There were 16 athletes from 10 nations competing in the Women's Monobob and 25 teams from 14 countries in the 2-man Bobsleigh. @RWH2021
Photo: IBSF
