Humphries Wins World Championship Gold in Altenberg

From Altenberg, GER

Feb. 22, 2020 – Over the past few seasons there’s been one woman who has owned the top of the women’s bobsled podium in Altenberg. Coming into the 2020 World Championships, Kaillie Humphries had won her last three starts in Altenberg. After sitting out the 2018/2019 World Cup season, the American slider was ready to take her place back at the top of the podium.

L-R: Team Kalicki, Team Humphries, Team de Bruin (Courtesy IBSF TV)

Over four heats in the women’s bobsled World Championship Humphries was nearly unbeatable. Along with Lauren Gibbs, Humphries had both the fast start and fast downtime in three of the four heats on her way to a .37 second victory.

The World Championship was the third for Humphries, and her first since the 2013 Championships in St. Moritz. For Gibbs, it was her first gold medal in a four-heat race (either World Championships or Olympic Winter Games).

Kim Kalicki put up a valiant fight to try to take gold from Humphries but fell just short.

Kalicki finished her first heat and had moved up to second after her second run. She did what she could in the third heat, setting the fast time of the heat to close within .19 of Humphries, but the reigning Junior World Champion could only muster the fourth fastest time in the final heat.

That effort for Kalicki was still enough to win silver in her first World Championships.

After a catastrophic third run by Stephanie Schneider, both Mariama Jamanka and Christine de Bruin moved up into third and fourth respectively, separated by just .02. On the fourth run Christine de Bruin put down a great final effort, and it was one that Jamanka could not match, giving de Bruin her second consecutive World Championships bronze medal, just .14 ahead of Jamanka.

Schneider’s third run was eighth quickest, dropping her to fifth overall. Her fourth trip down was a tenth better, but not nearly enough to put her back in contention.

Nadezhda Sergeeva struggled on her third run, but made up for it with the second fastest run of the final heat (tied with Martina Fontanive) to move up to sixth. Fontanive finished one spot back in seventh.

Great Britain’s Mica McNeill came into the final heat in sixth place, but couldn’t put together a strong final run and fell from sixth to eighth.

Results:

Pos Names Nation Bib Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Run 4 Total
1 Humphries / Gibbs USA 5 56.47 56.33 56.27 56.42 2:45.49
2 Kalicki / Lipperheide GER 18 56.56 56.45 56.25 56.60 3.45.86
3 de Bruin / Bujnowski CAN 7 56.60 56.87 56.47 56.61 3:46.55
4 Jamanka / Drazek GER 6 56.86 56.58 56.48 56.77 3:46.69
5 Schneider / Fiebig GER 4 56.50 56.84 56.84 56.74 3:46.92
6 Sergeeva / Mamedova RUS 8 56.80 57.09 56.77 56.57 3:47.23
7 Fontanive / Pasternack SUI 11 57.20 56.90 56.62 56.57 3:47.29
8 McNeill / Douglas GBR 15 56.83 56.99 56.56 57.16 3:47.54
9 Beierl / Onasanya AUT 10 57.00 57.04 56.96 56.76 3:47.76
10 Ying / Du CHN 1 57.07 57.09 57.13 57.01 3:48.30
11 Vannieuwenhuyse / van Petegem 2BEL 13 57.16 57.09 57.20 57.06 3:48.51
12 Huai / Lu CHN 14 57.29 57.01 57.10 57.17 3:48.57
13 Chernykh / Parfenova RUS 2 57.50 57.22 57.37 57.18 3:49.27
14 Walker / Preiska AUS 17 57.68 57.96 57.56 57.42 3:50.62
15 Hasler / Naef SUI 16 57.71 58.15 57.68 57.65 3:51.19
16 Smolarek / Byczkowska POL 20 59.35 58.65 58.37 58.02 3:54.39
DNS Nolte / Strack GER 9 57.04 65.52 DNS
DSQ Andreutti / Taini ITA 19 58.71 DSQ
DNS Vicenzino / Tavella ITA 3 61.28 DNS
DNS Grecu / Gheorghe ROU 12 62.26 DNS