TEAM USA HEADS TO ST. MORTIZ FOR MORE WORLD CUP SLIDING

World Cup

ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND (January 12, 2024)- Team USA competed at the historic St. Moritz track for this week’s World Cup races, which is carefully rebuilt from scratch every year in the Swiss Alps.

In the Mixed Team Skeleton event, Austin Florian and Mystique Ro slid into an exciting second-place finish, with their combined run time of 2:24.04. Kelly Curtis and Dan Barefoot also competed, placing tenth with a combined time of 2:25.76. 

In Women’s Skeleton, Curtis placed seventh with a time of 2:19.80. Ro placed ninth with a time of 2:19.87. Katie Uhlaender and Sara Roderick placed 21st and 23rd, with respective times of 2:20.67 and 2:20.99. 

In Men’s Skeleton, Florian placed fifth with a time of 2.15.95. Barefoot placed 21st with a time of 2:17.66. Nick Tucker placed 26th with a one-run time of 1:09.02.

In 2-Man Bobsled, Frankie Del Duca and Carsten Vissering placed eighth with a time of 2:13.50. 

The World Cup Monobob event was canceled due to unseasonably warm weather during Thursday's training session, which prevented all athletes from completing their qualifying runs. The race will be rescheduled, with an additional Monobob event set to take place on January 24 when the team returns to the St. Moritz track.

In 2-Woman Bobsled, Sadie McMullen made her World Cup debut alongside pilot Elana Meyers Taylor, placing fourth with a time of 2:17.84. Kaillie Armbruster Humphries placed fifth alongside Jasmine Jones. Sylvia Hoffman and Lolo Jones placed tenth with a time of 2:18.54, and Kaysha Love alongside Azaria Hill placed 12th with a time of 2:18.88.

In 4-Man Bobsled, Del Duca alongside push athletes Vissering, Manteo Mitchell, and Dylan Gilbert placed 16th with their two-run time of 2:11.60.

Para Sport World Cup

The Para Sport World Cup returned this weekend in Lillehammer, Norway. 

In Race 1, Bob Balk placed fifth with his time of 1:52.18. Will Castillo placed sixth with a time of 1:52.21. Austin Parker placed 14th with a time of 1:52.99, and Dan Rizzieri placed 15th with him time of 1:53.22. 

In Race 2, Castillo placed eighth with a time of 1:52.37. Balk placed tenth with a time of 1:52.42. Parker placed 13th with a time of 1:53.29, and Rizzieri placed 16th with a time of 1:54.22.

North American Cup

Team USA slid on home ice this week for North American Cup races in Park City, Utah. In 2-Man Bobsled Race 1, Kris Horn and Adrian Adams won gold with a time of 1:36.31, and Geoff Gadbois alongside Hunter Powell slid into silver with a time of 1:36.67. Grady Mercer and Bryan Sosoo placed eighth with a time of 1:38.00 and Shane Fisher alongside Trevor Chase placed 11th with a time of 1:39.42. 

In 2-Man Bobsled Race 2, Horn alongside Seth Baylus again slid into gold, with a combined time of 1:36.93. Gadbois earned another silver alongside Collin Storms with their time of 1:37.12. Mercer and Nate Breaud placed seventh with a time of 1:38.64, and Fisher alongside Johnny Townsend placed 12th with a time of 1:39.93.

In Women’s Monobob Race 1, Riley Tejcek placed third with a time of 1:44.88. Emily Bradley placed fifth with a time of 1:45.52. 

In Monobob Race 2, Tejcek and Bradley again placed third and fifth, with respective times of 1:44.39 and 1:45.51.

In 4-Man Bobsled Race 1, Horn earned his third gold medal of the week alongside Adrian Adams, Josh Williamson and Powell with their time of 1:36.97. Gadbois alongside Storms, Sosoo and Hakeem Abdul-Saboor placed fifth with a time of 1:38.38. Fisher, Chase, Tim Monroe and CJ McNeal placed seventh with a time of 1:39.77 while Mercer, Breaud, Caleb Furnell and Jace Johnson placed eighth with a time of 1:40.16. 

In 4-Man Race 2, Gadbois won gold alongside Storms, Sosoo and Williamson with their one-run time of 47.98. Horn, Adams, Abdul-Saboor and Powell placed fourth with a time of 48.18. 

In 2-Woman Bobsled Race 1, Tejcek and Andin Fosam slid into third with their time of 1:43.71. In 2-Woman Race 2, Tejcek and Fosam placed third with a one-run time of 50.52. 

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About USA Bobsled/Skeleton

USA Bobsled/Skeleton is the national governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton racing in the United States. Based in Lake Placid, NY, USA Bobsled/Skeleton oversees the development and training of American athletes at all levels of competition.