From St. Moritz, SUI
(January 26, 2023) – Germany’s Susanne Kreher did something on Thursday she’s never done before: Led after two heats in a top level race. She’ll look to hold that lead in the second day of competition on Friday.
Kreher set the fast time in the first heat of competition to open up a .11 second lead over Dutch slider Kimberley Bos, with Tina Hermann, Jane Channell, and Mimi Rahneva al in the hunt for the lead after one run.
On the second run it was Janine Flock who threw down the fastest time of the event thus far to move into the lead, a spot she held for three more runs as slider after slider couldn’t match her speed.
Canada’s Rahneva was finally able to set a downtime that was just .09 off of Flock’s second run, plenty enough to put her into the lead. Rahneva, who’s won multiple races in St. Moritz in the past, then watched as teammate Channell put down a good run but just off of Rahneva’s pace.
After an uncharacteristically bumpy run by Tina Hermann dropped the German to what would eventually be fifth, it was Bos’s turn to slide. Bos hit the wall late in her run to drop her behind both Rahenva and Channell.
Kreher then took to the ice, and while her second run wasn’t as quick as Rahneva’s, it was only off the pace by .06 to give the German the lead at the half.
It’s a .39 second advantage from Kreher to Rahneva, with Channell .11 behind her teammate. Both Bos and Hermann sit within a tenth of Rahneva, while Janine Flock is only .14 behind Channell in the final medal spot.
Despite her lead, Kreher felt like she left a bit on the track.
“My rides weren’t as good as they were in training,” Kreher said. “I’ll try to continue to improve tomorrow.”
For Rahneva, overcoming some nerves was the difference between her two runs. Said Rahneva, “I was a bit nervous in the first heat and a mistake here an there cost me a bit of time. I had a really good second run, and was able to gather my thoughts and fix a few mistakes.”
Australia’s Jackie Narracott, the most recent winner in St. Moritz, moved up from tenth to ninth in her second heat, just .04 ahead of Great Britain’s Laura Deas. Brogan Crowley and Tabitha Stoecker finished the day in 19th and 20th for the Brits.
Hallie Clarke, making her first World Championships appearance, led the United States in 11th place after two runs. She entered the second heat in eighth place, but a bumpy second run coupled with some great efforts from other sliders dropped her out of the top ten.
Unlike Clarke, neither Kendall Wesenberg or Kelly Curtis had very good first runs. However, both women cleaned things up on the second effort. Wesenberg jumped up from 22nd in the first heat to finish the day in 17th, while Kelly Curtis ended the day in 23rd, up from 25th.
The US Virgin Islands’s Katie Tannenbaum ended the day in 30th place, just ahead of Malta’s Shannon Galea in 31st.
Lichtenstein’s Katharina Eigenmann finished the day in 27th.
Results After 2 Heats:
| Pos | Name | Nation | Bib | Start 1 | Start 2 | Run 1 | Run 2 | Total |
| 1 | Susanne Kreher | GER | 7 | 5.21 | 5.22 | 68.12 | 68.26 | 2:16.38 |
| 2 | Mirela Rahneva | CAN | 9 | 5.26 | 5.25 | 68.57 | 58.20 | 2:16.77 |
| 3 | Jane Channell | CAN | 3 | 5.17 | 5.16 | 68.52 | 68.36 | 2:16.88 |
| 4 | Kimberley Bos | NED | 8 | 5.17 | 5.18 | 68.23 | 68.69 | 2:16.92 |
| 5 | Tina Hermann | GER | 10 | 5.39 | 5.42 | 68.47 | 68.50 | 2:16.97 |
| 6 | Janine Flock | AUT | 18 | 5.36 | 5.37 | 68.91 | 68.11 | 2:17.02 |
| 7 | Jacqueline Lölling | GER | 1 | 5.47 | 5.47 | 68.69 | 68.56 | 2:17.25 |
| 8 | Kim Meylemans | BEL | 30 | 5.32 | 5.36 | 68.78 | 68.99 | 2:17.77 |
| 9 | Jaclyn Larracott | AUS | 16 | 5.41 | 5.42 | 68.92 | 68.93 | 2:17.85 |
| 10 | Laura Deas | GBR | 14 | 5.23 | 5.24 | 69.14 | 68.75 | 2:17.89 |
| 11 | Hallie Clarke | USA | 12 | 5.25 | 5.28 | 68.90 | 69.00 | 2:17.90 |
| 12 | Valentina Margaglio | ITA | 20 | 5.20 | 5.20 | 69.20 | 69.33 | 2:18.53 |
| 13 | Hannah Neise | GER | 6 | 5.43 | 5.40 | 69.45 | 69.18 | 2:18.63 |
| 14 | Dan Zhao | CHN | 15 | 5.31 | 5.35 | 69.95 | 68.85 | 2:18.80 |
| 15 | Kellie Delka | PUR | 24 | 5.48 | 5.55 | 69.35 | 69.52 | 2:18.87 |
| 16 | Nicole Silveira | BRA | 2 | 5.34 | 5.31 | 69.55 | 69.35 | 2:18.90 |
| 17 | Kendall Wesenberg | USA | 13 | 5.47 | 5.49 | 69.96 | 69.05 | 2:19.01 |
| 18 | Anna Fernstädt | CZE | 4 | 5.41 | 5.45 | 69.42 | 69.63 | 2:19.05 |
| 19 | Brogan Crowley | GBR | 11 | 5.23 | 5.20 | 69.88 | 69.30 | 2:19.18 |
| 20 | Tabitha Stoecker | GBR | 22 | 5.15 | 5.15 | 69.54 | 69.77 | 2:19.31 |
| 21 | Yuxi Li | CHN | 19 | 5.45 | 5.43 | 69.72 | 69.66 | 2:19.38 |
| 22 | Sara Schmied | SUI | 27 | 5.39 | 5.43 | 69.84 | 69.94 | 2:19.78 |
| 23 | Kelly Curtis | USA | 5 | 5.33 | 5.32 | 70.23 | 69.63 | 2:19.86 |
| 24 | Darta Zunte | EST | 25 | 5.45 | 5.50 | 69.97 | 70.53 | 2:20.50 |
| 25 | Anna Saulite | AUT | 26 | 5.62 | 5.59 | 70.05 | 70.72 | 2:20.77 |
| 26 | Alessia Crippa | ITA | 21 | 5.28 | 5.30 | 70.77 | 70.22 | 2:20.99 |
| 27 | Katharina Eigenman | LIE | 23 | 5.65 | 5.66 | 70.56 | 70.71 | 2:21.27 |
| 28 | Laura Vargas | COL | 28 | 5.71 | 5.70 | 71.34 | 72.53 | 2:23.87 |
| 29 | Ana Torres Quevedo | ESP | 29 | 6.06 | 6.16 | 62.51 | 62.49 | 2:25.00 |
| 30 | Katie Tannenbaum | ISV | 32 | 5.67 | 5.66 | 71.89 | 73.18 | 2:25.07 |
| 31 | Shannon Galea | MLT | 31 | 5.88 | 5.92 | 72.69 | 72.48 | 2:25.17 |
| DNS | Agathe Bessard | FRA | 17 | 5.50 | 70.47 |
