Elana Meyers Taylor wins silver ahead of Christine de Bruin
Yanqing (RWH) Kaillie Humphries (USA) has entered the sports history books with the first Olympic gold in women's monobob at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. At the Yanqing Sliding Center, the 2010 and 2014 2-woman bobsleigh Olympic Champion now celebrated gold in the Olympic debut of the second discipline for female bobsled athletes. For the U.S. team it is the first gold since the premiere in 2002, when Jill Bakken/Vonetta Flowers became Olympic Champions. Silver went to Elana Meyers Taylor (USA) anhead of Christine de Bruin (CAN) with Bronze.
World Champion Kaillie Humphries was already on course for gold on the Olympic ice track after the first race run with track record (1.04:44 minutes). On the 1615-meter competition track, she was then already more than a second ahead of second place after the first Olympic race day with two of four runs. In the end, Kaillie Humphries claimed her third Olympic gold with a 1.54-second lead over her US teammate Elana Meyers Taylor. The overall winner of the 2021/2022 Women's Monobob World Series had moved up from fifth place into the medal ranks on the final day and won her fourth Olympic medal at the fourth Winter Games (bronze as a pusher for Erin Pac in 2010, silver as a pilot in 2014 and 2018). For the U.S., that means there has been at least one podium finish in every Winter Games since the women's bobsled athletes debuted in 2002, bringing the total to eight medals for the U.S. team.
Bronze was won at the Yanqing Sliding Center by Christine de Bruin of Canada (1.76 seconds back) - the fifth Olympic medal for Canadian bobsleigh athletes, who have always won at least one medal since 2010.
World Championship bronze medallist Laura Nolte (GER, 2.06 seconds back), who started third into the final day, missed the medal ranks by 0.30 seconds in the end and finished fourth. Bree Walker of Australia (2.19 seconds back), with the second-best time in each of the last two Olympic race runs, finished her Olympic debut in fifth place.
The best athlete for the Olympic hosts from China was Huai Mingming (3.31 seconds back) in sixth place. ©RWH2022
Kaillie Humphries (USA, Olympia Champion 2022, 2021 World Champion).
"This medal is for the USA! Thank you to everyone who made this possible. I am absolutely honored to bring home this medal for Team USA."
Elana Meyers Taylor (USA, Olympic silver 2022, overall winner World Series 21/22)
"When I arrived at the Winter Games, I didn't know for a long time if I would even be able to compete due to the quarantine here. Crossing the finish line and seeing the number one in front of my name, knowing that I have a medal, that was the moment of my life. I dedicate the medal to my son, he is everything to me."
Christine de Bruin (CAN, Olympic Bronze 2022, 4th place Women's Monobob World Series 21/22)
"I was always told that I lacked consistency in my runs, so I wanted to slide consistent here and I succeeded. If I work even more on my start, it can go further up. It's cool to be part of the 'great' of the sport now."
Photos: IBSF / Viesturs Lacis
