Bissonnette Wins Lake Placid Gold

From Lake Placid, USA

Feb. 7, 2020 – Lonnie Bissonnette won his second IBSF Parabobsled race of the season, taking gold in Lake Placid.

The Canadian pilot broke his one day old track record on his way to gold in the one heat race, beating the previous day’s winner Dave Nicholls by .76.

The win for Bissonnette was both his second on the season and his second in Lake Placid. The three-time Parabobsled World Cup champion has never finished off the podium in the two-time Olympic town.

Nicholls finished second for his second straight podium, just ahead of a logjam from third on back.

Spain’s Israel Blanco finished third, a tenth ahead of Sweden’s Sebastian Westi-Vippola, and .13 ahead of Corie Mapp in seventh. Fabrizio Caselli and Arturs Klots both wedged their way in between the two sliders.

Guillermo Castillo was the top finishing American, tied for eighth with Germany’s Nikolai Johann. Sarah Kim-Frazier finished a career-best 11th, while teammates Frederick Evans and Steven Jacobo finished 16th and 18th, respectively.

Lee Thibeault finished 15th as the second Canadian in the field.

Bissonnette’s win brings him within 32 points of Mapp with two races in Park City to go. Arturs Klots sits a distant third.

Results:

Pos Name Nation Bib Time
1 Lonnie Bissonnette CAN 1 59.65
2 Dave Nicholls ISR 13 1:00.41
3 Israel Blanco ESP 5 1:00.45
4 Sebastian Westin-Vippola SWE 10 1:00.55
5 Fabrizio Caselli ITA 7 1:00.56
6 Arturs Klots LAT 9 1:00.57
7 Corie Mapp GBR 8 1:00.58
8 Nikolai Johann GER 18 1:00.72
8 Guillermo Castillo USA 2 1:00.72
10 Flavio Menardi ITA 4 1:00.80
11 Sarah Frazier-Kim USA 12 1:00.87
12 Alvils Brants LAT 20 1:00.94
13 Christopher Stewart SUI 6 1:01.20
14 Mykola Levkun UKR 16 1:01.26
15 Lee Thibeault CAN 14 1:01.34
16 Frederick Evans USA 15 1:01.55
17 Michael Stevens RSA 17 1:01.58
18 Steven Jacobo USA 11 1:02.61
19 Ziva Lavrinc SLO 19 1:03.52
DNS Guro Fronsdal NOR 3 DNS