Yanqing/Beijing (RWH) Skeleton World Champion Tina Hermann and World Championship bronze medallist Alexander Gassner (both GER) are the first two winners of the 2021/2022 Olympic season. At the Yanqing National Sliding Center, venue of the races at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and not far from the Chinese capital Beijing, four times World Champion Tina Hermann won the women's race ahead of her teammate Hannah Neise. The Junior World Champion finished second, 0.04 seconds behind. Third was the overall World Cup winner of 2019 Elena Nikitina (RUS, 0.27 seconds back), who set the best start time with 4.96 seconds.
In the men's event, Alexander Gassner (GER), second overall in the 2021 World Cup, set the best time in both races and secured victory in the Olympic test by 0.39 seconds ahead of Britain's Marcus Wyatt. Axel Jungk (GER, 0.44 seconds back), 2017 and 2020 World Championships silver medallist, finished third ahead of World Champion Christopher Grotheer (GER). The best time at the start was set by Korea's Seunggi Jung (4.64 seconds), who finished 15th in the end.
The races at the Yanqing Sliding Center are the conclusion of the three-week International Training on the Olympic track and are official IBSF races. There were 30 athletes from 17 nations competing in the men's race and 24 athletes from 16 countries in the women's race. ©RWH2021
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Photo: IBSF
