IGLS, Austria (AP) — Kaillie Humphries and Lolo Jones rallied in the second heat to win the women’s World Cup bobsled season finale Sunday, a race in which the U.S. grabbed the gold and silver medals.
Humphries and Jones had the fastest time in that second and final heat, moving up from third place and beating teammates Elana Meyers Taylor and Lake Kwaza by four-hundredths of a second. Humphries and Jones finished in 1 minute, 47.07 seconds; Meyers Taylor and Kwaza crossed the line in 1:47.11.
It was the 27th career World Cup women’s bobsled victory for Humphries, and the eighth time Jones has helped a sled earn a medal in her last 12 World Cup starts.
“It’s nice to have this victory,” Jones said. “Everyone on this team did a great job, and it’s nice to see the U.S. finish as the top two sleds.”
Katrin Beierl of Austria teamed with Jennifer Jantina Oluumi Desire Onasanya to finish third. That was good enough for Beierl to win the season-long points title, even without a victory in any of the season’s eight races.
Beierl is the fifth different female pilot in the last five years to win the World Cup women’s overall crown.
In the four-man race, Germany’s Francesco Friedrich won yet again and clinched that title to go along with his two-man crown this season — the third consecutive season in which he’s swept the points championships.
Benjamin Maier of Austria was second on Sunday, Justin Kripps of Canada took third and Codie Bascue was 13th for the top U.S. finish in the four-man race.
The bobsled and skeleton world championships in Altenberg, Germany start this coming weekend. The U.S. men’s bobsled team is not participating, choosing instead to return home and begin working toward team selection races in March. The U.S. women’s bobsled team is competing at worlds.
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