2016/2017 IBSF World Cup – Two-Man Bobsled – Race 1

From Whistler, CAN

Francesco Friedrich picked up right where he left off in the 2015/2016 season, winning in Whistler. The German was the quickest in both heats, and despite one close call out of 50/50, Friedrich held off Swiss slider Rico Peter for gold.

Peter moved up from a fifth place run in the first heat to take silver, edging Korean Yunjong Won by .02. Won finished with a bronze medal, making it a second medal in two years on the Canadian track.

Johannes Lochner and Justin Kripps tied for fourth, while Korean Donghyun Kim scored a career best World Cup finish in sixth.

The Germans currently hold the World Cup lead, but will relinquish that after Race 2 in Lake Placid, as the entire bobsled team will head back to Europe for equipment testing in lieu of racing again in North America.

Justin Olsen led the way for the United States with a seventh place finish in his first World Cup race as a pilot. Teammates Steven Holcomb and Codie Bascue finished 11th and 12th respectively.

Chris Spring made it two Canadian sleds in the top ten with his tenth place finish. Teammate Nick Poloniato finished 14th. Lamin Deen and Bruce Tasker finished 18th and 19th respectively for Great Britain.

Results:

Pos Name Nation Bib Start 1 Start 2 Run 1 Run 2 Total
1 Friedrich / Margis GER 8 4.75 4.75 51.92 52.29 1:44.21
2 Peter / Amrhein SUI 14 4.84 4.85 52.21 52.46 1:44.67
3 Won / Seo KOR 9 4.76 4.79 51.96 52.73 1:44.69
4 Lochner / Bluhm GER 7 4.80 4.80 52.25 52.48 1:44.73
4 Kripps / Lumsden CAN 10 4.79 4.82 52.18 52.55 1:44.73
6 Kim / Jun KOR 19 4.81 4.82 52.20 52.59 1:44.79
7 Olsen / Weinstock USA 2 4.74 4.74 52.33 52.60 1:44.93
8 Stulnev / Kondratenko RUS 12 4.86 4.88 52.30 52.66 1:44.96
9 Kasjanov / Pushkarev RUS 11 4.90 4.92 52.43 52.60 1:45.03
10 Spring / Brown CAN 6 4.80 4.81 52.46 52.61 1:45.07
11 Holcomb / Valdes USA 15 4.88 4.88 52.42 52.74 1:45.16
12 Bascue / Kinney USA 18 4.83 4.84 52.67 52.57 1:45.24
13 Andrianov / Malykh RUS 16 4.89 4.92 52.44 52.87 1:45.31
14 Poloniato / Plug CAN 17 4.87 4.89 52.51 52.88 1:45.39
15 Rinaldi / Vain MON 20 4.85 4.87 52.83 52.64 1:45.47
16 Walther / Grothkopp GER 13 4.87 4.85 52.72 52.75 1:45.47
17 Maier / Sammer AUT 22 4.80 4.84 52.67 52.83 1:45.50
18 Deen / Simpson GBR 1 4.92 4.88 52.70 53.19 1:45.89
19 Tasker / Blanchet-Dufresne GBR 4 4.81 4.79 52.78 53.23 1:46.01
20 de Bruin / Beenker NED 21 4.93 4.95 52.82 53.32 1:46.14
21 Costerg / Castell FRA 5 4.92 52.91
22 Mata / Mari AUS 3 5.00 53.51
23 Bindilatti / Martins BRA 23 4.95 53.79