Photo credit: IBSF/Viesturs Lacis

IGLS, Austria (November 21, 2021) – Kaillie Humphries (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Sylvia Hoffman (Arlington, Texas) tied reigning Olympic champion Mariama Jamanka of Germany and her brakewoman Kira Lipperheide for fourth place in this morning’s women’s bobsled World Cup race. They finished a mere one-hundredth of a second from bronze medal position. Elana Meyers Taylor (Douglasville, Ga.) and Aja Evans (Chicago, Ill.) finished seventh.

“That’s racing, every little mistake makes a difference,” Humphries said. “I thought my second run was good, it felt good, so it’s a little confusing. But you can bleed little bits of time everywhere on this track. We’ll go back and review the run to see where we lost it, but overall it felt decent.”

Humphries and Hoffman tied teammates Meyers Taylor and Evans for the fastest start time of 5.50 seconds in the first heat. Humphries and Hoffman threaded together the second fastest run of 53.17 seconds. Meyers Taylor and Evans crossed the finish line in 53.38 seconds for sixth position. This was Evans’ first World Cup race back since the 2018 Olympic season.

Humphries and Hoffman had only the sixth fastest start time of 5.55 seconds in the final heat, and the pair clocked the seventh best downtime of 53.35 seconds. The Americans’ total time of 1:46.52 tied Germany’s Jamanka and Lipperheide for fourth.

Meyers Taylor and Evans once again posted the fastest push time of 5.53 seconds in the second heat, and Meyers Taylor clocked the fifth best downtime of 53.33 seconds. Despite the faster time, the team fell back one spot into seventh with a combined time of 1:46.71. 

“For me today was a little frustrating because I know I can drive this track better,” Meyers Taylor said. “I had problems going back and forth between monobob and two-man, but it’s just an adjustment I have to make.”

Laura Nolte and Lionie Fiebig from Germany were victorious with a two-run total of 1:46.22. Kim Kalicki and Anabel Galander, also from Germany, moved up from fourth place to secure the silver medal with a combined time of 1:46.39. Canadians Christine De Bruin and Kristen Bujnowski earned the bronze medal in 1:46.51. 

Both Humphries and Meyers Taylor are traveling with their families this season. Humphries has her husband and former U.S. bobsled athlete, Travis Armbuster, with her. Meyers Taylor’s husband, Nic Taylor, is also a member of the national team. They are traveling together with their son, Nico, who is 1.

“Travis will be here with me for the whole tour,” Humphries said. “Having the support and to be able to do this as a family is really important. It makes tour more fun, more like a lifestyle. You have to be mentally sound in order to get the most of yourself, and we knew this was going to be a big year with a lot of stressors, such as getting my citizenship, so we knew it was important to stick together as a family.”

“It’s huge to have a support system behind you,” Meyers Taylor said. “I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t travel with Nico, he’s my everything. He doesn’t care what happened in the race, he just wants to see me and snuggle.”

The Igls World Cup continues with the four-man bobsled competition at 1:30 p.m. local time. Fans can stream the races via desktop at http://olympics.com/en/live/, and via mobile, tablet and connected television platforms on the Olympic Channel app. Please check your local listings for coverage on the Olympic Channel and OlympicChannel.com.

For media inquiries, please contact USABS Marketing and Communications Director Amanda Bird at amanda.bird@usabs.com.

###

Results

1. Laura Nolte and Leonie Fiebig (GER) 1:46.22 (53.12, 53.10);

2. Kim Kalicki and Anabel Galander (GER) 1:46.39 (53.23, 53.16);

3. Christine De Bruin and Kristen Bujnowski (CAN) 1:46.51 (53.18, 53.33);

T-4. Kaillie Humphries and Sylvia Hoffman (USA) 1:46.52 (53.17, 53.35);

7. Elana Meyers Taylor and Aja Evans (USA) 1:46.71 (53.38, 53.33);

About USA Bobsled/Skeleton

USA Bobsled/Skeleton (USABS), based in Lake Placid, N.Y., is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the United States. For more information, please visit the USABS website at www.usabs.com. Individuals interested in becoming a bobsled or skeleton athlete can visit www.usabobsledskeleton.com.