From Winterberg, GER
(Dec. 14, 2018) – Coming into Friday’s race, Jacqueline Lölling had never finished out of the top six in Winterberg at any level of international sliding. That streak continued, with Lölling putting on a clinic to dominate the second round of the IBSF World Cup.
Lölling came into the second heat with a .34 advantage on a track that generally has closer racing than most tracks. She pulled away down the bottom half of the track to eventually finish with a .67 differential over teammate Tina Hermann.
Hermann, on the other hand, was part of a traditionally close Winterberg podium (after Lölling, anyway). Hermann carried a .01 advantage going into the second heat, and answered a great run by Austrian Janine Flock by putting down one of her own to hold onto her position ahead of Flock by only .03. Hermann’s run was good enough for silver, with Flock hanging on for bronze.
Sigulda winner Elena Nikitina was on the other end of the close racing for the podium, missing the bronze medal by just .01. The Russian out-pushed the field in both heats, but couldn’t maintain speed like the women ahead of her, eventually finishing fourht.
Canadian Mimi Rahneva and German Sophia Griebel rounded out the top six. Griebel came into the second run in 13th position, but a sixth-quickest run of the heat propelled her up the finishing order.
Olympic bronze medalist Laura Deas finished seventh for Great Britain in her first World Cup start of the season. Teammates Madelaine Smith and Kimberley Murray finished 14th and 16th, respectively.
As races tend to be in Winterberg, the racing was close throughout the field. Going into the second heat there was only a .27 second spread from sixth to 15th. American Kendall Wesenberg made two mistakes on her second run and that was enough to drop her from a tenth place run in the first heat to 15th in the second. Savannah Graybill finished 19th to round out the American effort.
Aussie Jackie Narracott finished tenth in her first World Cup race of the 2018/2019 season, up from 16th in her first heat, while Canadians Jane Channell and Elisabeth Maier finished just behind her in 11th and 12th.
Results:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Jacqueline Lölling | GER | 5 | 5.54 | 5.51 | 57.61 | 57.55 | 1:55.16 |
| 2 | Tina Hermann | GER | 10 | 5.54 | 5.53 | 57.96 | 57.87 | 1:55.83 |
| 3 | Janine Flock | AUT | 17 | 5.56 | 5.53 | 57.97 | 57.89 | 1:55.86 |
| 4 | Elena Nikitina | RUS | 11 | 5.16 | 5.19 | 57.95 | 57.92 | 1:55.87 |
| 5 | Mirela Rahneva | CAN | 15 | 5.29 | 5.33 | 58.25 | 57.88 | 1:56.13 |
| 6 | Sophia Griebel | GER | 12 | 5.42 | 5.46 | 58.47 | 57.94 | 1:56.41 |
| 7 | Laura Deas | GBR | 2 | 5.35 | 5.35 | 58.28 | 58.21 | 1:56.49 |
| 8 | Yulia Kanakina | RUS | 13 | 5.27 | 5.25 | 58.40 | 58.13 | 1:56.53 |
| 9 | Kimberley Bos | NED | 9 | 5.40 | 5.38 | 58.36 | 58.20 | 1:56.56 |
| 10 | Jaclyn Narracott | AUS | 20 | 5.58 | 5.52 | 58.56 | 58.07 | 1:56.63 |
| 11 | Jane Channell | CAN | 6 | 5.30 | 5.35 | 58.36 | 58.33 | 1:56.69 |
| 12 | Elisabeth Maier | CAN | 8 | 5.32 | 5.35 | 58.21 | 58.59 | 1:56.80 |
| 13 | Kim Meylemans | BEL | 1 | 5.44 | 5.48 | 58.49 | 58.41 | 1:56.90 |
| 14 | Madelaine Smith | GBR | 7 | 5.48 | 5.44 | 58.53 | 58.41 | 1:56.94 |
| 15 | Kendall Wesenberg | USA | 14 | 5.60 | 5.59 | 58.39 | 58.63 | 1:57.02 |
| 16 | Kimberley Murray | GBR | 16 | 5.48 | 5.48 | 58.63 | 58.41 | 1:57.04 |
| 17 | Renata Khuzina | RUS | 4 | 5.46 | 5.45 | 58.41 | 58.66 | 1:57.07 |
| 18 | Sophia Jeong | KOR | 19 | 5.40 | 5.40 | 58.75 | 58.45 | 1:57.20 |
| 19 | Savannah Graybill | USA | 18 | 5.65 | 5.65 | 58.74 | 58.66 | 1:57.40 |
| 20 | Valentina Margaglio | ITA | 3 | 5.36 | 5.44 | 58.95 | 58.71 | 1:57.66 |
